Prison Breakers
by Mids-all-the-way
Summary: Three female newsies are charged with a dangerous task: getting more than half of the Brooklyn newsies out of their refuge. Find out what happens when you combine Jack, Spot, and three ornery girls with their own minds. Meet Midway, Edge, and Guillotine
1. Chapter 1

I sat in the stone room, looking anxiously out the barred window

I sat in the stone room, looking anxiously out the barred window. We had a system, but I was still anxious. I started tapping my foot nervously. The guard looked in and told me to quit it, I ignored him. He moved on. They had thrown me in a cell without looking at me, stupid bulls. _It was lucky,_ I told myself. If they had examined me carefully they wouldn't have thrown me into the men's jail. I would've been stuck in the women's facility, which is much harder to break into.

It was almost time. I heard the nearest church bells ring the hour for midnight. _Any moment now…_ I thought. In the distance I heard an extremely loud and obnoxious peal of giggling. _Oh no, they let Edge flirt this time? Well, I guess they would have recognized Guil… _The guard pacing up and down the row of cells headed toward the sound, wanting to see who the loose floozy was. It always worked like a charm; they never seemed to connect the girly girls to the breakouts. And we're supposed to be the dumb ones.

Guil crept silently up to my cell, holding up the keys she had snatched off the drunken guard at the back of the prison. She unlocked the door and I slipped out. We headed toward the doorway that led to the next room. I knew this prison like the back of my hand. We snuck out the back and waited for Edge to catch up us with on the next block. About ten minutes later, she came striding up, still donning her floozy dress and heavy make-up. Her hair was curled and pinned up. I laughed at the sight of her.

"Shut up." She muttered. She hated wearing dresses: we all did. Guil and I laughed even more. We started to walk down the street. The air was cool in the night in New York. I took a deep breath. Guil playfully punched my arm, and I bit back a scream.

"What's wrong, Mid?" she asked worriedly. I gritted my teeth.

"I think that asshole policeman dislocated my shoulder. I'm having trouble moving it, and it hurts, a lot." I said quietly, not wanting either of them to worry.

Without even having to speak we turned in the direction of Duane Street. If I wanted my arm fixed I needed the only adult I trusted, Kloppman. He ran the Newsboys Lodging House. Our walking was quiet and quick, the only way to travel at night, especially when you were three teenaged girls in New York. It wasn't long before we reached our destination. We stepped inside quickly.

The atmosphere changed instantly. The laughing boys silenced when we stepped inside. At the sight of Edge in her ridiculous getup some wolf whistled, others laughed, knowing she was extremely uncomfortable. The boys greeted us and mostly returned to their card games.

"What can I do for you girls?" Kloppman asked us brightly. I grimaced at him.

"My arm, I think it's dislocated. Could you help me out?" I asked grimly. He nodded earnestly and motioned for me to sit in a nearby chair. I sat, bracing myself for pain. Edge and Guillotine stood nearby, looking worried, they knew how I felt about pain, and how I dealt with it, which was not very well.

"What happened?" Kloppman asked me, as he kneeled beside the chair, coming down to my height.

"We just busted out again." Guillotine explained.

"You girls seem to get thrown into jail an awful lot." Kid Blink commented, sitting down nearby.

"See, we was working the crowd down at the docks," Edge explained, "and we ran into some trouble-"

"Named the Delancy's…" Guil muttered angrily.

"Well," continued Edge, "they saw us and pointed us out to the bulls, saying we was stealing or something."

"Me and Edge got away, but Middy got stuck, completely surrounded by em." Guillotine explained.

"Anyway, the bulls grabbed me and well, got a little rough." Not that I wasn't used to pain, you learned to take a hit working as a Newsie in New York. But it definitely wasn't pleasant. And I wasn't what you'd exactly call 'tough'. At least not by New York standards.

"Well, just hold tight. It'll be over in a sec." Kloppman said gently, taking my arm. I winced; hey, I'm a wimp, remember?

Kloppman raised my arm horizontally to the ground and pushed it as hard as he could into its socket. White hot pain streaked up my arm and neck. I screamed, clapping a hand over my mouth as soon as the sound left it. So much for discreet, the whole lodging house was looking in our direction.

"It'll be bruised pretty badly for the next few days." Kloppman said. I pulled the collar of my shirt off my shoulder and looked at my arm, which was already purple. I sighed. It still hurt.

Kid Blink looked sympathetic.

"I'll get you a cold washcloth." He said and started up the stairs.

"Thanks." I called after him. Edge growled from her seat. I looked at her, surprised, she wasn't normally grumpy.

"Something the matta, Edge?" I asked.

"I just want to get out of this damn dress." She cried. I grinned. I remember playing the part of the sluttish girl to get her out of jail. I hated it just as much.

"Hey Mush," I called across the room, "You got any extra clothes Edge can borrow. She's getting cranky."

"Aww, but she looks so good." The boy joked. I laughed. Edge threw her high heel at him, which she had been struggling in anyways. He laughed again and climbed the stairs to the bunkroom.

I stood up and crossed to the nearest table, watching Race and Crutchy and some others play a game of poker. I sat heavily.

"Deal me in." I said.

"Not a chance Midway." Race said from across the table. "You still owe me from our last game, rememba?" I sighed and dug some coins from my pocket, emptying them into his palm.

"Happy?" I asked him, very annoyed.

"Exuberant." He replied in his Italian accent, dealing me in for the next round.

Guil and Edge joined the game. Blink returned with my washcloth and Mush brought us odd assortment of clothes for Edge, who practically leaped into them. After a cigarette and a few more games, I turned to my companions with look that said it's late, let's get going. They returned the look, and we all stood.

"Leavin so soon?" Crutchy asked.

"Yep." We all replied in unison, heading towards the door. We waved goodbye to everyone else and filed out, closing the door behind us. We continued down the street, towards the Girls Lodging House, our personal hell hole.

"Jack wasn't there tonight." Guil commented as we made our way towards Irving Hall. We had to return the costume to Medda, who always lent them to us for a breakout. It was on the way to our lodging house.

"Neither were Skittery and Boots." I added.

"Or Pie Eater." Edge mumbled. _Probably off in Brooklyn playing with the big boys._ We crossed the street and entered Irving Hall which was still full of people, even at three in the morning. We made our way backstage, waving to the chorus girls and singers. We knew them all.

"Girls!" A loud, accented voice greeted us from behind. We whirled around. There stood Medda in her silk dress and rouge. We grinned, she was always happy to see us.

"Why don't you leave my things in that trunk over there, then come and join me in my dressing room." She said gliding away quickly; she was up next on stage. Edge dumped her wrinkled dress and shoes in the open trunk and we all headed for her dressing room, grinning.

Minutes later Medda burst through the door, exclaiming about the thrill of the stage, congratulating us on another successful breakout and inquiring how we had been.

She took in our scruffy, dirty appearances and shook her head. Guil and I had wavy brown hair and Edge had red curls: no one could see it because we stuffed it all up in hats all day pretending to be boys. Medda shook her head again. She swiftly knocked our hats off our heads. We were powerless to stop her nosiness of how we looked, we owed her a favor.

"Now girls, you are my favorite pets in all New York, won't you please let me dote on you?" She begged, using her puppy eyes. We all exchanged glances and slowly nodded our defeat.

"Wonderful!" She boomed. She swirled around and dug into a trunk of old men's clothes. She always said that if we were going to dress as boys, we should be well dressed boys. She threw random items at us: shirts, suspenders, pants, hats, underwear. I picked up a forest green shirt that was in much better condition than my own and examined it. Deciding it was worthy, I pulled off my own, being careful of my ever-throbbing shoulder.

"Good Heavens!" Medda cried. "My goodness, what happened?" she asked, pointing to my shoulder.

"It happened with the run in with the cops, I…just…umm…" I trailed off, scared of the murderous look in her eyes. Medda proceeded to rant about the horrible law enforcement and what she would do to them if she had the chance.

"Attacking young girls, absolutely barbaric!" She exclaimed.

"Well, they didn't know I was a girl." I pointed out, hoping to calm her down. I did not succeed. I silently pulled on the new shirt and a pair of pants, sticking with my own suspenders. Edge and Guil did the same, choosing random articles of clothing and taking some extra. We finished up and waved our goodbye to Medda, who still had a sour look about my shoulder, and left quickly.

"You shouldn't have let her see that, Mid," Guil muttered angrily as we walked down the street, "Next thing you know she'll be trying to get us out of the newsie business." Edge mumbled in agreement. I sighed. They were right.

"Sorry, it won't happen again. It'll be healed in a few days anyway…" I trailed off.

"Good." They said in a unified voice. I grinned. We walked on, still not talking. We were beat. We had been up about twenty hours or so. Tonight probably wasn't the best night to stay out so late. Well, it also probably wasn't the best night to get thrown in jail again, but hey, we couldn't control it.

As we approached the Lodging house we slowed our brisk walk and crept up to the fire escape. We always entered this way in the early A.M.'s, not wanting to wake Mrs. Larson. She would whip us each and send us to bed with a smack for being out so late. And we knew it.

We climbed up and slid through the open window, crossing the floor quietly, trying not to wake anyone. Of course, we simply couldn't succeed.

"Well, well, well." A voice behind us echoed. "Out so late again?" Guillotine cursed.

"Shut it Nancy. You want us to get caught?" Edge whispered harshly to the snooty girl sitting in the rooms' only chair, apparently waiting up for us. Nancy grinned maliciously.

"Actually, yes. But tonight I'll make an exception. I think I'll hold it above your heads for a few days until I need something…" She trailed off, tapping her chin in mock thought. We all threw her dirty looks and continued to our bunks that were across the room.

Too tired to worry about Nancy or even to my change my clothes, I slid under the covers and went to sleep instantly.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I rolled over onto my left side and stifled a scream

The next morning I rolled over onto my left side and stifled a scream. My arm was throbbing again. _Damn policeman…_ I stood up carefully and proceeded to the mirror on the wall. I looked horrendous. My hair was a mess, and the bags under my eyes were a deep purple color. Edge and Guil looked equally worse, only they didn't show any signs of government brutality. I washed up and brushed out my hair before shoving it up under my hat again. The other girls looked at me distastefully. They despised Edge, Guil and me. We had chosen to work as newsies, while they had chosen to work as maids, laundresses, office girls and fruit cart sellers. We made more money than them all.

Edge and I had been working as newsies since we were about five. Both of us orphans, we didn't really have much choice. Guil moved to New York from Virginia when were all about seven. We taught her the trade. And she taught us a few new tricks. Until they built the girls lodging house, which was when we was all about nine, we slept near the docks. Those big piles of crates are water proof and rather comfy in the summer. We spent winter sleeping in different churches. Always working as newsies. When we turned twelve, well, pretending to be a girl while on the job got harder than it had been. Race, Crutchy, Mush, Skittery and Jack, who at the time had been mere acquaintances, started getting suspicious. One hot summer day, we were all swimming in a spot at the docks we thought no one else knew about. We were wrong.

They all came about the bend, eager about swimming, saw us and just about strangled us for our deception. Three years later, we were the best of friends.

I grinned as the sudden memory played through my head. They were bright red as they confronted us, while we, after years of experience, stayed completely calm and acted as if it were common knowledge that we were girls. We stood there in our soaking wet long underwear, arms crossed over our chests, refusing to give them an easy answer. It was a very awkward week. As news spread that the lone trio was actually female, teasing and attempted flirting ensued. We quickly brought that to a stop with a couple knees to the groin and fists to the nose.

I snapped back to reality as Nancy pushed past me roughly, making my arm ache and glared at me, reminding me that I was under her control.

"So _Midway._" She said, mocking my well earned nickname, that Cowboy himself had given me. "What am I going to do with you? You can't dress like a decent girl, you don't know your place in the lodging house, and I hardly ever see you home in time for curfew." I resisted the urge to sock her in the gut, knowing it could mean me getting kicked out of the lodging house. Working with boys kind of gave you a violent edge. We didn't really possess the whole girlish 'get to you by insulting you, stab you in the back' thing. If some of the boys bothered us, we beat em. I wished it would work with these girls. I was tougher than all of them, and that's saying something.

I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, turned without looking at Nancy and made my way down the stairs. Edge and Guil greeted me, and we started towards the World Distribution Center.

"I swear, one day I'm gonna hit Nancy so hard she'll need a new face." Edge and Guil laughed, knowing that I wasn't capable of hitting that hard. I wasn't exactly the biggest girl around. They were both very tall. I often referred to them as my body guards.

"Don't worry about it." Edge said easily. It was hard to make her upset about something. She had earned her nickname from Jack due to her almost frayed sense of reality. Sometimes she seemed to be on the edge of insanity.

"I know what you mean," Guillotine sympathized. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to throw her out that window…" She had a slightly cynical side. I laughed. As long as I was with my friends, nothing could touch me. Literally: they were both rather beastie.

We reached the WDC in record time. We greeted all the Manhattan newsies accordingly. Jack was there today.

"Heya Edge, Guil, Mid." He said, grinning. "Heard you goils made another breakout last night. Heard bout your arm too." He said, nodding toward the injured party. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, just bruised. How bout you, where were you last night?"

"Over in Brooklyn, had a little chat with Spot and his boys. Apparently, Medda's planning on having another bash, like the one she threw for the strike a few weeks ago. You coming?" I glanced at Edge and Guil, who were already in conversation with Race and Skittery. They had overheard and nodded eagerly. I turned back to Jack.

"Well, uh, Edge and Guil are going, but I don't think I'll be there…I'm not good with crowds." Jack laughed.

"Aww, come on. Don't be a baby." He slapped my back, getting most of my sore shoulder. I threw a punch at him, which he dodged easily. He looked surprised.

"What was that for?" He asked, looking hurt and curious.

"You hit my bad shoulder." I growled, trying not to vomit from the pain. Jack laughed again and, apologizing profusely, walked towards the opening gates. I couldn't help it: I laughed too. That punch probably wouldn't even have fazed him, it had been so bad. _Oh well, you can't have it all._ I hurried after him, getting in line with Edge and Guil. We chatted about the pathetic headlines until it was my turn.

"Hundred papes please." I said smoothly to the old geezer behind the bars. He shoved a full pile my way and I swung them up on my shoulder, waiting for Edge and Guil.

"So, where we selling today?" Guil asked casually.

"Anywhere but the docks." I moaned.

"How about Central Park?" Edge suggested. "It's a nice day. It'll be packed." So we all turned in the direction of Central Park.

Selling was easy, as Edge had predicted. I was sold out before noon, a first for me. I tended to sell out before the other two, mostly because people thought I was younger and took more pity on me. With my 75 cents from the morning edition, we all headed to Tibby's, the local diner that stooped to serve us lowly newsies. We walked in, excited about our days success and stopped short. It was completely packed. Not only was all of Manhattan there, but about half of Brooklyn was too. They looked to be having a meeting of some sort.

"Girls!" I heard for the second time in two days, well, technically one day. "Have a seat, we got a business proposition for you." We looked at one another and wondered what the hell was going on. Cautiously, we sat in between Cowboy Kelly and Spot Conlon himself. He wasn't as scary as I thought he would be.

"Well girls, we got a little problem, and we need some help. See, Brooklyn here has an issue with his local bulls. They made a raid on the Brooklyn docks a few days ago and got a few of his right hand men locked up in the Brooklyn Refuge for Boys. Spot wants 'em back." Spot nodded coldly, glaring at us with piercing blue eyes.

"What do you need from us?" Guil asked, looking confused.

"Yea, what have we got to do with this?" Edge demanded. I looked at all the other boys in the room. They were intentionally avoiding eye contact. They knew what was up. And I had a feeling it couldn't be good.

"Well," Jack continued, "we need someone to go in undercover and bust them out. And since you do it on practically a daily basis, we figured you were perfect for the job." He finished brightly, hopefully. He knew he couldn't command us. We, as girls, were not under his strict rule. Guil snorted.

"You figured wrong." She said icily. Jack frowned.

"This refuge probably has better security than a typical drunken guard at the back door every night. And we don't know it like the 'Hattan jail. If we got caught, we'd be stuck there too, pretending to boys. Nuh-uh. Not on your life." Edge explained coldly.

"That's the thing, you wouldn't be dressed as boys." We exchanged looks. We _always_ dressed as boys. "You would go in dressed like your lovely girl selves, undercover as maids or, um, female company, and get them out that way. You would have better access to keys, and could probably get out without Old Man Warren knowing." He finished, expected us to be impressed with his brilliant idea. We were disgusted.

"'Female company', what's that supposed to mean Jack?" Guil growled.

"I am not wearing a dress again, especially not for some strangers I don't know." Edge said furiously. Jack looked at me, his last hope.

"Can't, bum shoulder." I reminded him, enjoying the look of utter defeat that crossed his face. He sighed and dismissed us wearily. We rose to leave.

"Wait a damn minute." Spot's cold, angry voice commanded. We froze, terrified. Spot stood slowly, turning to look at us.

"I come here, asking for your help, and all you can do is worry about yourselves? You was wrong Jacky-boy, these little sluts ain't worth the effort. They ain't worthy of being newsies. These are the most selfish, insignificant punks I have ever met." He finished smoothly, now addressing the entire room, trying his best to shame us to his will. It didn't work.

"Ooh, ya hear that Mid, we're sluts." Guil said with a grim smile.

"And selfish punks." I commented back conversationally.

"Actually," Edge said viciously, "I believe it was selfish, _insignificant_ punks."

"Dear me, what will we do? I can't go on. I've been called a slut." I brought a hand to my forehead in a fake faint.

"We get comments like that every day. It don't scare us." Guil said pointedly.

"Yea, I'm lucky if I don't get my ass grabbed by one of you guys." Edge snarled, looking around the room. The boys nearest to her backed away slowly.

"We get called whores, sluts, loose, everything you can think of. A little comment like that ain't gonna change our minds." I told Jack coldly. We turned up our noses and started to walk away.

"You scared?" A voice asked from behind us. We froze. _Damn it._ If there was one thing we wouldn't be called, it was scared. We were the most outrageously courageous girls I knew, and I ain't being modest.

"What, you heard me. Are you scared to do it?" We turned to see whose voice it was. Typical, Racetrack, always taking Jack's side.

"This ain't your business, Race." Guil said angrily.

"The hell it ain't!" Race yelled. We jumped a little. "They's got two of my buddies locked up in there. If you don't help us, they'll be stuck for good." Other boys around the room nodded. _Crap._ Great, if we didn't do it not only would all of Brooklyn be after us, but half of Manhattan as well. We could afford to make enemies of Jack, but the rest of 'em? No way. The next thing you know we'd wake up in some alley, beaten half to death. If we wanted to work as newsies, we had to stay on their good side. I guess that meant doing them a favor once in a while. I sighed.

"Fine, we'll need a layout of the refuge, plans, money, food, somewhere to stay, the whole shebang." I said grudgingly. I did this against my better judgment. Edge and Guil sighed too. This was not going to be a fun day.

Jack grinned. "Already got you covered. See, we thought Guil and Edge could go in as Midways' maids or something. Midway would dress up as some rich lady wanting to see Old Man Warren 'bout something, then Mid keeps him occupied while Edge and Guil bust 'em out. Easy." Edge laughed under her breath. We knew nothing was ever easy.

"You're forgetting to factor in the fact that the refuges' layout is probably far vaster than the local jail, and its security force is guaranteed to be more professional and better informed when it comes to our whereabouts while we are in company with Mr. Warren." Guil ranted, slipping into her old habit of talking in words far too complicated for simple newsies to understand.

"She means it's not as easy as it sounds." I explained to the blank looks I was getting. Edge cracked her knuckles menacingly.

"Yea." She agreed, thought she looked as though she too might have misunderstood.

"And," I continued, "Why do I gotta get all dressed up. Why me?" I did not want to do this.

"Cause," Jack said, motioning to Edge and Guil, "they're too built to be rich. We need someone small, almost frail looking. You look younger too, so he might be thinkin 'bout other things while you're talking to him." Jack winked and wiggled his eyebrows. I had glared at him when he said 'frail looking'. Yet, I knew it was true.

"And just when are we supposed to do this?" Edge demanded.

"Tomorrow." Spot informed her coldly. Edge looked at him curiously. We could be cold when we wanted, make people think we're not interested. But this boy seemed plain old mean.

"We'll be there." Guil mumbled in defeat. A cheer went through the whole room. Race was grinning again, and Mush and Crutchy came over to slap our backs in congratulations, as though we were heroes. We smiled back weakly, and let them buy us lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, what will we need

"So, what will we need?" Edge asked Jack as we walked down the street, headed towards Irving Hall.

"Well," Jack answered thoughtfully, "you'll need clothes." Yea, no duh Sherlock.

"A little more specific would be nice." I prompted. Jack shrugged. Spot, who was in lead of the pack, looked back at me.

"Midway, huh? Cause of your height?" he asked. I flushed.

"No, actually it's because I'll only tell you half the truth most of the time. I ain't got time to explain things to dumb people, so I paraphrase." I answered coldly, letting my 'dumb people' remark sink in. He seemed unfazed.

"Then why not Halfway?" He asked. I shrugged and grinned.

"Midway sounds better." I said. Guil laughed.

"And you," he said, turning to Guil, "What the hell does 'Guil' mean?"

"It's short for Guillotine." Guil explained patiently. Spot returned a blank look.

"A guillotine is a device used for chopping off heads." She continued, no longer patient. Spot looked bewildered for a second and then laughed.

"Alright ladies, we're here. Shall we?" He swept his arm out, motioning us to proceed inside. My good mood evaporated.

We walked inside the dark, almost empty building. It was completely deserted at three in the afternoon. We walked through the hallways until we reached backstage, where Medda greeted up jubilantly.

"Girls! Again, so soon? Well, what can I do for you?" Jacked stepped forward to explain our situation. Medda listened intently, then turned excitedly to us and yanked us into her dressing room.

"Now, Edge and Guil will be requiring full sets of clothes for the typical maid or serving girl. You two look in that box over there until you find something appropriate." Edge and Guil approached the box of doom cautiously. Medda turned back to me.

"And you. You! You will be my special project. We'll need something fancy to show you're rich, and something sultry to keep his attention."

"Boy oh boy, I can't wait…" I muttered. Medda started going through the closet behind her. She tossed some type of garment at me that was stiff and hard.

"What the hell is this?" I asked her. Was I supposed to _wear _this?

"Silly girl, it is a corset. You will need them too, eh?" she pointed to Edge and Guil, who looked horrified, but nodded glumly.

I stripped down and Medda handed me a shift to put on over my underwear. Then, she turned to me with the corset in hand.

"Turn around." She commanded. I reluctantly turned. That thing was tight. She laced it up as tight as it would go, and all the air in my lungs went out. I stood there trying to breathe as Medda picked a gown for me. She selected a black silk 'V-neck' that was _very_ low cut. Jack and the boys would be seeing more of us than they had ever cared to. My arm throbbed as she pulled the dress over my head.

Edge and Guil struggled into corsets and plain, yet elegant dresses, though they had an easier time of it than me. We are all trying to breathe as Medda looked us over in satisfaction.

"Yes!" She cried. "That will do wonderfully." I looked in the mirror.

"It'll work." I shrugged and started to take off the hideous death trap.

"Wait." Medda protested. "Let the boys see you, they've been waiting out there all that time."

"No way." Edge and Guil chanted while I shook my head. Without another word, Medda strode to the door and called them in. Jack and Spot came in, looking around politely, until they saw us that is. Jack started laughing at our slimmer figures and larger chests. I would've taken a swing at him, but my shoulder still hurt…and I couldn't breathe. Spot just smirked and leaned against the wall, studying us. Medda smacked Jack on the head with her fan, and he quickly adopted an innocent expression.

"Well, you ladies look lovely. Now we can go to Brooklyn. You'll be staying at the Brooklyn Lodging House tonight, and tomorrow, you'll do your thing." Jack sniggered at us as we glared at him.

"We'll need money, and identification." Edge said grumpily.

"Not to worry!" Medda sang, and she threw us a leather pouch filled with coins and paper bills.

"I got a pal in Brooklyn who can get the I.D.'s for you. I'll take care of it tonight." Spot said coolly. We nodded and started to unbutton our dresses. Jack stopped us.

"Wait a second, just stay in that, and I'm sure we can get to Brooklyn much faster." Jack guaranteed. We sighed; traveling and being seen publicly in these outfits had not been part of the plan. Oh well.

"Now girls," Medda turned to us. "You must act the part. You must stand like a wealthy woman," she pushed back my shoulders, "You must be gracious and polite," She pushed the corners of Guil's mouth up, "and you must speak correctly and smoothly. You must look down on those below you, and lose those horrid Manhattan accents." She admonished Edge, whose accent came naturally, unlike mine or Guil's.

We said our goodbyes, and exited the building, trying to ignore all the young men who were staring at us. It was strange. We spent most of our time trying not to be seen, and now we were the center of attention.

We followed Jack down the street, lagging behind him slightly. As we moved on, Mush came into sight. He was standing on a street corner selling the afternoon edition.

"Man found guilty of murder, sentence ten years!" Mush yelled into the crowd. We walked up to him.

"Hey!" I greeted him brightly. He turned around, and looked shocked for a second, then gave us the up-down, and grinned slyly.

"Well hello there ladies, would you like a pape?" He asked us charmingly, his eyebrows wiggling up and down. We all burst out laughing.

"Is this your pathetic attempt at flirting?" Guil teased him.

"Yea," Edge added, "It's not very impressive."

"Come on, Mush, you're losing your touch." I slapped him on the back. He was a notorious ladies man.

"How do you know my name?" He asked us, looking alarmed and suspicious. We looked at one another, confused.

"Maybe cause we've known you for years?" Guil suggested.

"Is he going crazy?" Edge asked me under her breath. I shook my head.

"Mush," I said, obnoxiously waving my hand in front of his face, "It's me, Midway, anybody in there?" His face again looked shocked.

"_Midway_?" he asked, completely thrown off balance. He turned to the others. "_Edge, Guil_?" We nodded slowly for his poor, confounded brain.

"But…but when did you become girls?" I smacked across the face with my fan. He sputtered.

"About fifteen years ago Mush." Guil informed him, laughing so hard, she looked about to pass out in her corset. Mush looked closely at all of us, and stepped back, bewildered.

"Wow, you girls clean up nice." He muttered under his breath. Edge tackled him.

"Keep up." Jack called from the next block over. We gave Mush looks of shame and kept walking, leaving him gawking after us.

We caught up with Jack and Spot and kept walking till we reached the Brooklyn Bridge. Jack stopped us and hailed a passing carriage, then shoved me forward to talk to the man, who was looking down expectantly at me.

"Um, well, I'd like a ride to Brooklyn please." I said, trying my best not to use my thick accent. He nodded.

"Climb aboard." He said. I stepped up to the door on the side of the body and opened it, trying not to hit myself with it. I put my foot on the little step thing and lifted my self up. Unfortunately, I wasn't used to wearing women's boots and I slipped back to the ground, almost planting my face into the sidewalk.

Jack rolled his eyes and stepped forward, shaking his head at me in disgust. He grabbed me around the waist and practically threw me into the carriage floor, where I dragged myself up into a seat, sitting awkwardly and blushing furiously. Edge and Guil made it into the carriage without disgracing themselves, and finally Jack and Spot climbed in. Spot closed the door firmly. Jack nodded to the driver, and we were off across the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Midway," Jack said looking at me oddly, "You'se gotta learn to be more ladylike. Next thing you know, you'll be tripping down the stairs at Grand Central and nobody will know who that clumsy broad was." I kicked at him viciously from my seat. He kicked me back.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Spot said sarcastically, "But, uh, welcome to Brooklyn."


	4. Chapter 4

We had crossed the bridge and the driver had stopped the carriage, and turned around in his seat

We had crossed the bridge and the driver had stopped the carriage, and turned around in his seat.

"Where to now, miss?" He asked politely. This time I spoke with courtesy.

"The Newsboys Lodging House, please." I said, forcing all signs of any New York accent out of my voice. He nodded and continued down a street.

I looked all around, marveling at this part of the city which I had never been to before. It was, well, darker than Manhattan. Not literally, but there were a lot more poor people, more scum on the streets. The buildings were older and less sound looking. The people we passed looked astonished to see a finely drawn carriage coming down this street. The driver looked a little nervous.

"So, Mids, Edge, Guil, what do you guys think about Brooklyn so far?" Jack asked us.

"Its, well, different." Guil said plainly.

"Are there always so many…um…'people'?" Edge asked quietly, trying not to let Spot hear. She failed miserably.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He retaliated sharply, his eyes drilling into hers. Edge looked away quickly and muttered something inaudible. I almost laughed out loud. Edge was, like, twice the size of Spot. Spot looked at me, and grinned maliciously.

"Look," he drawled, "You goils be sure to stay near me while you're here. You ain't in Manhattan no more, and my boys ain't gonna trust you at first."

"Do you trust us?" I asked him. He looked at me, studied my innocent expression, and leaned back casually again, letting his eyes wander up to the slightly cloudy sky.

"No, I don't. That's why you'll be staying near me, to make sure you don't double cross us." Jack looked offended, but Guil and Edge grinned.

"He's a smart boy…" Guil commented. Edge nodded her agreement, smiling viciously. We could be quiet a handful when we wanted. We learned on the streets, from the best. We wouldn't have trusted him either. The driver interrupted our conversation of love and trust.

"Here we are, young lady." The man said with a flourish of his hand. I passed him the fare from the seat and Jack opened the door, hopping out. Spot jumped down and Guil slid out gracefully. Edge's skirt caught on the carriage and had to be yanked loose, almost causing her to fall over. I laughed, but stopped quickly as I realized my jump to safety would probably be much worse. I sat in the little doorway, thinking about the best way to approach this, when Jack just grabbed my arm and jerked me over his shoulder into a fireman's hold. He took a few steps back, and practically dropped me on the ground. I jumped up, ready to chew him out, but he just laughed and started walking towards an old building. Spot was already half way there. We girls hurried to catch up.

"So what do you think?" Guil asked me under her breath.

"I think I might strangle Jack." I mumbled darkly. She laughed but remained serious. "Edge?"

"Well, he's definitely tough. And obviously knows what he's doing. He's just so…scary." This time I laughed.

"Edge," I looked at her, "You could crush him." Edge shrugged. We kept walking until we reached the door. There had been a loud eruption of noise as Spot and Jack had entered, and I wondered if we would receive the same welcome.

We didn't. As we stepped into the lodging house lobby, the room went completely silent. The boys looked shocked, astonished to see us standing here in their doorway. Spot made his way over to us quickly.

"Look," He said nervously, "Go up those stairs and into the second room on the left. Don't talk to nobody, and lock the door when you get in." We looked at Jack with looks that clearly told him that if was risking our lives for Brooklyn and we died, we would haunt his ass. He simply nodded his agreement to Spots plan and shoved us towards the steps, which we hurried to climb. We practically ran to the door Spot had described and as we closed it hurriedly, we heard an explosion of noise again.

"What the hell was that about?" Edge asked incredulously. I shrugged, lost for words.

"Maybe they didn't know we was coming." Guil suggested. I shrugged again.

We suddenly heard a knock on the door. We all jumped. Edge fell of the old bed she had sunken onto. Guil, recovering first, quickly crossed to the door and called out.

"Who is it?" She asked roughly, as though this room was _hers_ and any boy foolish enough to disregard that would get his.

"It's me, Jack." We sighed in relief and Guil unlocked and opened the door. Jack slid inside, closing the door softly behind him. He turned to face us.

"Sorry bout that ladies, see Spot didn't exactly tell his boys he'd be bringing a bunch of girls back to Brooklyn. You wasn't what they was expecting see. And let me tell you, they don't see such fine looking females on a daily basis. You kinda shocked 'em all." Jack explained quietly. We glared at him, furious. Finally, Edge threw a punch at him that caught him in the jaw and Guil socked him in the gut. I stomped on his bog toe with my high heel. He jumped back, surprised at our sudden attack.

"What the heck did you get us into Jack?" Edge shouted in his face. I could almost feel the concentration of the boys' downstairs turn up towards us.

"We didn't sign up for this." Guil growled at him. We all knew exactly what those boys had been thinking as we walked in, and now we had to live among them. Great.

"If something happens Jack, I will personally kick you so hard in the you-know-what that you'll never have children." I shouted at him from beside Edge. He was now completely backed against the wall, cowering there. We converged on him, ready to kick his butt. After all, it was three to one, our odds were pretty good. The door suddenly burst open and in walked Spot, happy to be home. Behind him were about fifteen other boys. _So much for good odds_. Jack looked extremely relieved as they all approached us at once and started introducing themselves and each other. I was completely lost.

"Hi." One boy came up to me and introduced himself as Fists. I looked at him closely. He had brown eyes and curly brown hair, and he looked kind of young. In fact, all of these guys looked young. I don't think there was anybody above the age of twelve except for Spot. He answered my unasked question.

"All the older guys are in the refuge. I'm the only one who got away. See, we were on the docks and all the younger guys had already gone to bed. Me and the other fellas were out on the docks talkin and all that. The bulls came charging down and started clubbing my guys right and left. I only escaped cause I was fast enough to jump in the water before they reached me." I shivered. The Brooklyn River in April. COLD.

I looked at all the rest of the boys. These were some pretty tough looking twelve year olds. Some were leaning on the walls, studying us, glaring. They didn't look like they trusted us at all. A few more friendly kids came up and told me their names. I laughed at one kid named Patch who looked about six years old.

"Hi, I'm Midway." I grinned down at him as he stuttered. He looked surprised.

"That don't sound like a fancy ladies name." He said curiously. Guil and Edge laughed and introduce themselves as well.

"And we ain't fancy." Guil laughed. He blushed and ran away.

"Awright come on everyone, lets let them get settled and all." Spot shouted above the noise and people started crowding through the door. The older boys who were glaring slowly left, making their features stone. I wondered if we'd have any problems with them.

Finally the door closed and we all sat down and breathed deeply. We sat thinking for a while until Edge broke the silence.

"Can someone help me out of this corset?" She asked. We laughed and all got changed, helping each other to breathe once more. We put on our street clothes and headed downstairs. I sighed in relief as no one even noticed our decent. We once again looked like boys. All was right with the world.

We walked over to Spot and sat down at the table he had his feet propped up on.

"So what's the plan?" Guil asked. He looked up and smiled.

"Couldn't stay in those monkey suits any longer huh?" He grinned. We rolled our eyes.

"Well," he continued. "I already got it planned out. You, Miss Katherine Cosby," he pointed at me, "have an appointment with Mr. Warren at noon tomorrow. You would like to discuss giving the refuge an annual donation at Christmas time. Your two assistants, who will accompany you, will ask for a tour of the refuge, wanting to speak personally to some of the boys who live there. I already have a boy on the inside that knows exactly what the plan is and has warned the others. They know you're coming and will assist you any way they can. You just keep Warren occupied while Edge and Guil break them out. No big deal." He finished.

"You already have a boy on the inside? Then why are we here?" Guil asked furiously.

"I told him the plan a few minutes ago. He just left to stir up trouble and get arrested on purpose. He'll be locked up until you girls get there tomorrow." Spot explained coldly. We flushed and shut-up, thinking through his plan. It didn't sound so bad.

"Ok…" I said slowly, thinking through everything that could go wrong in my head. Even when I came up with faults, there seemed to be some sort of safety net. I decided the chances weren't that risky.

"Well, everything seems fine; we'll be going to bed now." Guil said quietly, and rose from her chair. Edge and I followed.

"Get some rest." Spot said, looking at us seriously. "You're gonna need it."


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up the next morning, I leaped out of bed, wondering where the hell I was and who had brought me there

When I woke up the next morning, I leaped out of bed, wondering where the hell I was and who had brought me there. It wasn't until several seconds later that Edge burst out laughing at my extremely odd behavior. It was then that I remembered what I was doing here. I sank back onto my bed and started to change into my death trap. Guil and Edge followed suit, and soon, three high class girls were walking down the stairs of the Brooklyn Lodging House.

Again, the activity in the room ceased as we entered, but it quickly started up again as Spot coughed loudly and menacingly at his boys. We walked over to him and stood there, like soldiers awaiting orders.

"You sleep well?" He asked us, and continued without waiting for an answer. "First things first. You girls gotta eat. Fists should be on his way back with some food so you don't have to leave the Lodging House yet. Until he gets here, let's go over some key points. These are your identifications." He handed us small paper cards that said we were members of the Ladies Aid Society of Queens, and had small pictures and fake birth dates and addresses. We smiled at them. Our pictures looked nothing like us.

"Now, the refuge is on Maple Street in east Brooklyn. You will catch a ride in south Brooklyn, where we are, and arrive their around noon. Their maid, Bridget, knows you are coming, and will show you to Mr. Warrens' office. Bridget will lead Edge and Guil to the mess hall, where they will be eating lunch. She has keys and everything you need. Midway, you just need to distract him long enough to let them escape. I think fifteen minutes should be more than enough time. Don't let him leave his office. Do anything it takes." I shifted uncomfortably.

"If you already have an inside agent then why do you need us?" Edge asked confusedly.

"We need someone who can take out the few male guards who will be in the mess hall." Spot explained.

"Then why not get someone else, someone bigger?" Guil asked. Spot sighed.

"They suspect us. We've broken the boys out before using some of our biggest guys. They know we would do that now. They won't have any clue you're with us. Edge and Guil should be able to take care of all of the guards because they'll have their backs turned. In short, they'll underestimate you cause you're girls." We nodded our understanding. It was sort of the story of our lives.

Fists burst through the door, holding a paper sack. He threw it to Spot, who tossed it to us, and we dug into a hearty meal of fruit, bread, and jerky of some kind. We sat; talking through strategy until Spot finally called us over to the door, and held it open for us.

"Let's go."

We crossed the street at a quick pace and headed north for two blocks, where we hailed a carriage. We all managed to climb in somewhat gracefully and told the driver where we wanted to go. He nodded and the horses pulled us forward. As we rode, everywhere I looked were familiar looking boys. The Brooklyn Newsies. They were everywhere, silently escorting us to the refuge. I saw Patch walk casually down the rode behind us. I almost waved, and then remembered that I wasn't supposed to know him. He grinned at me and winked.

As we got closer and closer to our destination, the buildings got nicer and larger. We were entering uptown Brooklyn. I took a deep breath as the carriage turned onto Maple Street.

It slowed in front of a large, very secure looking building. We paid him and climbed out, fell almost. I fell again. Edge caught me. Luckily, no one noticed. We climbed the steps to the front door. Before we even used the knocker, it flew open, and a young woman stepped out and hurried us inside. She was tall and slim, with thin honey colored hair tied into a knot on the back of her head. She winked at us and curtsied, leading us forward, further into the lobby.

"Ladies," she said to Guil and Edge, "If you'll please wait here, I'll only be a moment. I'm to escort Ms. Cosby to Mr. Warren's office." She walked toward a door on the right side of the lobby and opened it. We stepped into a long hallway, where you could clearly see a door at the end marked 'Warden Warren'. I started hyperventilating as we got closer and closer.

Bridget spoke very quickly and quietly as we approached the door.

"Don't let him get fresh; he'll take advantage of any situation. Continue talking business as long as you can. You don't want him to become occupied with anything else." I nodded, feeling slightly noxious. Bridget pushed open the door and I slipped inside with a gracious look on my face.

Good morning, Mr. Warren." I greeted him. He looked up from some papers on his desk and smiled awkwardly. He had thinning gray hair, and was tall, but skinny. Wiry. He had an air of authority about him and I felt the urge to kick him in the shin for some strange reason, but I suppressed it and stepped forward.

"My name is Ms. Katherine Cosby. I believe you're expecting me." I sat down in a chair in front of his large oaken desk and tried to look business-like.

"Yes, yes. Ms. Cosby. I'm so delighted you could come today. You wanted to discuss annual donations I believe?" He inquired greedily. I nodded, knowing any money he got from 'donations' went straight into his bank account.

"Yes, I would be delighted to make some sort of investment in this facility. Anything to help those poor children." He looked me up and down, and I resisted another urge to slap him.

"Forgive me for saying so, but you barely look old enough to be doing this kind of generous act. You're still a child yourself." He looked almost intrigued by that idea. I almost laughed, but instead made my features cold and distant.

"Well, if you would prefer that I did not take my business here, perhaps I should try another borough." I rose dramatically, as if to leave. He sputtered and apologized quickly. I frowned and lowered again, still looking slightly angry. He ate it up. _You freaking idiot_.

"Anyhow, I was thinking about an annual donation of one thousand dollars." He looked stunned. "That should surely be enough to feed and cloth them all exceptionally well, maybe give them each a new toy of some kind." I said in an offhand voice, trying to look bored and sultry.

"Yes, that would be an excellent idea! Why, I could even give you a tour if you like." He stood up and headed for the door. I shot to it and cut him off.

"Do you really think I want to see a bunch of little vermin?" I asked him venomously. He shook his head slowly. "Well then, perhaps we can discuss other matters." I said coolly, trying frantically to think of a topic, any topic, to keep him occupied.

"Like what?" He asked looking like a confused puppy. I took a deep breath and remembered a line I had once heard Medda use.

"Like how poor Mrs. Warren is doing?" I said slowly, keeping extremely uncomfortable eye contact.

"Actually my wife passed away many years ago, she-." He broke off as he studied me again, this time with new intent.

"You poor thing, what a lonely life you must lead." I said putting my elbows on the table and batting my eyelashes. He looked absolutely astonished. _He should be. No girl in her right mind would EVER be interested in you. _

"Yes, it's uh…quite lonely." He said, again not meeting my eyes. He was definitely looking lower. I let him think what he wants. I would win in the end anyway.

"You know," I said standing and walking to a bookshelf in the corner. "You have a wonderful book collection." I said, now making up random stuff to keep him occupied.

"Do you read?" he asked. I suppressed a giggle and nodded. A sudden bang came from upstairs, followed by shouting that was quickly muffled. Mr. Warren shot towards the door.

"Mr. Warren," I said loudly and coldly enough to make him freeze. "Where are you going?" I demanded.

"I just need to check on-." I cut him off.

"Do you mean to tell me that you have so little faith in your security forces that you feel the need to become personally involved?" I asked him frigidly. "Because if that is the case, then I might need to re-evaluate my donation sum." He slowly returned to his desk and looked at me curiously, as though he couldn't figure me out. I didn't blame him. I went from sweet young woman, to crazy mean chick, to sultry girl, back to mean chick. I would be confused too. Mr. Warren came closer to me and I backed away cautiously.

"Usually, with a girl your age, I would leave well enough alone, but you seem far more mature than your age and far too bold as well." Ok, my mean chick thing had only angered the beast. He lunged at me, grabbing my wrist, and slammed me against the wall. Ok, he was REALLY strong for an old geezer his age. He tried to kiss me, but I turned my face. He slapped me, and tried again. This time I head butted my forehead into his nose, which broke. Then I quickly brought my knee up- well, you know. He crumpled to the ground, wheezing, where, for good measure, I kicked my leather boot into his kidney. As I stood there panting, waiting for Warren to rise again, I heard a whistle from the door.

"Remind me not to mess with you." Said a large, browned haired boy from the door of the office. I turned, stepped on Warren, and strode past the boy grandly. I heard him trotting behind me. We reached the lobby, which was filled with about a hundred boys, most of them from Spot's gang. They were yelling, wrestling, talking and jumping all over the place. I found Edge and gave her a look. She nodded and whistled one of those awesome whistles with her two fingers. She had tried to teach me how to do it, but failed, due to my lack of talent. All the boys froze and looked at her. She pointed towards the door.

"You'll leave in groups of four or five, wait five minutes, and then the next group will go. We don't want to attract attention." She ordered, and people moved into action. A few of the boys looked questioningly at each other, as if to say, who is this broad, and why is she giving orders? But no one disobeyed.

I walked over to her and Guil and immediately requested to be able to leave now. They nodded and I walked outside as casually as possible, hailed another carriage, and rode in silence back to the docks in Brooklyn.


	6. Chapter 6

When I reached the Lodging House, I stormed inside, and headed for the staircase

K, Midway here. I've decided that if I don't get some serious reviewing in the next few days, I might as well stop posting, because my self-esteem is horrible and all that jazz. Plus, I need the ego boost. Well, enjoy…and REVIEW DARN YOU!

When I reached the Lodging House, I stormed inside, and headed for the staircase.

"Back so soon? How'd it go?" Jacks familiar voice casually asked me. I turned slowly towards him and walked forward, my eyes drilling holes into his skull. He was sitting at a table playing cards with Spot, and didn't even look up as I approached him. Spot was staring at the bruise and cut on my face. I stood next to Jack and clenched my fists compulsively, willing Jack to look at me. Finally, sensing the awkward silence, he glanced up at my face, and gasped. The cut from Warrens ring was still bleeding and the bruise was probably purple. He looked surprised to see me in this state.

"What-." I didn't let him finish. I cut him off by punching him as hard as I could in his face, so he would know what it felt like. Then I turned on my heel and stomped upstairs, slamming the door when I reached my room. I tore off the dress and shoes. I couldn't unlace the corset by myself, and since I was SO not asking Spot or Jack for assistance, I took my pocket knife and cut through the laces on the front. I pulled on my street clothes, stuffed my hair in my hat, and stomped out of the room. I couldn't really understand why I was so angry, why had this burning instinct to go back to the refuge and finish Warren off. It probably had something to do with the time Guil, Edge and I got stuck in a sticky situation with some really bad men. I was young, maybe eight or nine. I couldn't remember it too well, but it was the reason I had never gotten too close to the newsies. I didn't trust men. Those men hadn't raped me, but they had meant too, and had way too close to doing it. I could still clearly see their faces, sneering at me. It was the reason we hadn't told the newsies we were girls. We had all been changed that day…

When I reached the top of the stairs, I froze, and listened as about fifty boys came barging into the lobby, cheering and yelling for victory. I pulled my hat lower over my face and ran down the stairs and through the boys. No one recognized me as a girl so I slipped out the door unnoticed.

As I was walking down the dirty street, kicking rocks and cans, I heard someone yell my name. Guil and Edge ran up to me, looking pitying, yet excited. They were still wearing their maid clothes.

"What happened?" Guil asked calmly.

"Nothing." I said quietly and turned to walk away. Edge grabbed my suspenders and tugged me back effortlessly.

"Don't play dumb, something happened, we want to know what." She demanded.

"Fine," I sighed, "Warren got too close for comfort, alright." When they still looked as though they expected more, I continued. "He tried to…ugh…_kiss me_…and then he hit me, but I took care of it. No big deal. But if Jack ever signs us up for another assignment like this again, I will knock him out cold and throw him in the river." I growled, cracking my knuckles menacingly, or at least as menacing as I could get.

"Is that where he got that bruise?" Guil asked.

"Oh, does he have a bruise? Good." They laughed, and after convincing me a little, we headed back to the lodging house.

Walking back in could have gone a little more smoothly, but hey, with my luck, you get what you get. Of course, still dressed as girls, Guil and Edge got a lot of attention. And with my trailing right behind them, people assumed I was the third girl who had taken part in breaking them out.

"Who's dat?" Someone asked as we walked in. Spot stood up and walked over to us, and the chatter died instantly. He greeted us quietly, then turned and introduced Guil and Edge to the crowd, who waved and bowed dramatically while blowing kisses. He called my name and the boys roared while I nodded stiffly and headed toward the stairs. Spot caught my shoulder and turned me around.

"I think you owe Jacky an apology." He said. It was a command, not an opinion.

"Hell no." I replied and shrugged out of his grip. He grabbed my suspenders and yanked me back. _I may have to consider a belt. This is getting old._

"Now." He commanded, and shoved me towards the card table, where Jack was still sitting. I walked slowly up to him, clenching my jaw. He saw me coming and leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on the table and checked his fingernails for dirt. Assuming his tough guy pose.

"Jack." I greeted him stiffly.

"Midway." He said back courteously.

"I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry." I breathed deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth.

"Oh," He said, feigning surprise.

"Yes." I muttered.

"For?" He inquired, a smug look came across his face and he winked at some boy behind me. It was a wink that said 'Watch this, it's hilarious. Ha-ha, she has to suffer!' I cracked.

"For not hitting you harder, you arrogant little pr-." I was cut off by someone whacking the back of my head. It was probably Spot. Jack burst out laughing and stood up, putting out his hand.

"Truce? I'll forgive you if you forgive me?" He spit into his hand. I sighed and spit in mine.

"Truce." I replied wearily. We shook. He slapped me on the back and moved over to another group of boys. I sat down in his abandoned chair and picked up the cards, shuffling them expertly. The boy who had come to Warrens' office earlier sat down too.

"Can I play? I'm Seal, by the way." He grinned and offered a hand.

"Midway. Poker alright with you?" I asked, shaking his hand. He nodded and I dealed out the cards. We played a few rounds in silence.

"Almost didn't recognize you without those fancy clothes." He commented casually. I nodded and kept playing.

"Do you always dress like that?" He inquired.

"No." I said shortly and kept playing.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" I grinned.

"Sorry, I guess I'm not in a good mood. Usually, my pals can't get me to shut-up." He laughed.

"So why the bad mood?" I gave him a look that said 'Use your brain, moron.'

"Ah. I thought that might be it. Well hey; at least you made it so he can't never do that no one again. I think his child bearing days is over." We chuckled and, you guessed it, kept playing.

"Yea, I may have overreacted a little." Who was I kidding, he deserved worse.

"C'mon, you made it easy on that guy." He laughed at his own joke, and I grinned. I was about to say something else when the door burst open and Manhattan newsies spilled in, shouting and shoving. I laughed out loud as Snipeshooter climbed onto the nearest table and squinted his eyes, obviously looking for someone. I really loved those guys, no matter how ridiculous.

Mush, Race and Blink all noticed me and came over to our table.

"Midway!" Mush exclaimed. "Seal here told us how you took out Old Man Warren. Nice going!" I glared at Seal. What a stupid nickname anyway.

"Oh, did he?" I growled. Seal looked away, ashamed. My Manhattan friends remained oblivious of my growing temper. Honestly, I was trying to put this behind me, and if people kept coming up to congratulate me, that would be kinda hard.

"Yea. Said you knocked him out cold!" Race said excitedly. Blink nodded eagerly. They all sat down and huddled closer, obviously wanting more information.

"So, what happened?" Blink asked, his one good eye shining brightly.

"Yea, spill." Race demanded.

"I'd rather not talk about it. It would be kinda awkward-." Race 'pshed' me, and the others groaned.

"C'mon, don't be a baby." Mush patronized me.

"Really," I defended myself, "It wasn't that exciting. I gotta go." I stood up, looking for an escape route. They grabbed my arms and yanked me back down.

"Tell." Blink said, on the verge of being menacing. Seal started to protest their treatment of me, but they told him to shut-up. They were used to abusing me, it strengthened our relationship.

"Fine, I got on his nerves and he tried to kiss me. So I beat the crap out of him. Happy?" They leaned back, shocked and embarrassed.

"I didn't think so." I stood up and walked away. Sometimes boys could be so oblivious. Sometimes? Please, try all the time.

"Hey." I greeted Edge glumly. She looked down at me and groaned.

"No." She said firmly.

"What?"

"No, you are not going to be sissy and grumpy for the rest of the week just because some old geezer lost his grip on reality." She explained.

"Fine, I'll try to be happier." I grumbled. She nodded her agreement, and skipped over to Blink happily. I saw him point over to me and talk to Edge. She just shook her head and smacked him playfully.

"So, you ready to head back to Manhattan?" Spot said from behind me. I grinned and turned to face him.

"Sure, it's better than this dump. Just kidding!" I added quickly, seeing the anger flash onto his face. He shook his head and started to walk away, then turned back quickly as something occurred to him.

"Oh, and try not to be such a downer. You're ruining the fun." I grimaced.

"Sure." And so, I went back to playing cards with Mush, Race, Blink and Seal and acted as though nothing awkward or embarrassing had happened.

I'm just a great actress that way.

REVIEW…I will hurt you if you don't. K, maybe I won't, but I might get depressed enough at my apparent horrible writing to just stop…Please help me! by reviewing!


	7. Chapter 7

K, its Mids. I want to thank BlinkNMiss (or something like that) for reviewing, you seriously made my day. K folks, im off to Tennessee tomorrow, so this is it for about a week, unless knucklepuck wants to help me out…ENJOY…AND REVIEW!

"C'mon!" Jack yelled from the front of the pack. The Manhattan newsies were heading back to Manhattan. We girls were still standing in the doorway of the Brooklyn Lodging House, saying our goodbyes to Patch and Seal and Fists, who had promised to come visit us in 'Hattan. We shook with Spot and turned to leave.

"Wait." A voice behind us called. A few of the boys who had seemed particularly resentful of us when we arrived stepped forward, being pushed by Seal and another large boy who had been in the refuge.

"We, uh, just wanted to thank you. And apologize…" The little ringleader mumbled. I grinned and stuck out my hand.

"And you are?" I asked him.

"Pain." He answered. I laughed and spit in my hand.

"Midway. And this is Guillotine and Edge." He spit in his hand and we shook. As we walked away, they looked slightly less resentful. Progress.

As we trotted to keep up with the fast paced boys, we chatted about what we had to face next. The wrath of Nancy and Mrs. Larson.

"Do we really have to go back?" Edge asked. "I hate it there."

"We all do, but it's our only option." Guil sighed. I nodded glumly. Nancy was sure to make our lives a living hell. Not that it was a contrast to our normal lives.

"Yea, well, I've had just about enough of them."

We caught up to the boys and fell into step, chatting about headlines and Medda's party, which was tonight. We were going straight there. We had to return her stuff anyway. I wondered how I was going to explain the ruined corset.

Edge started talking with Blink about some fight he had gotten into and Guil was talking poker strategy with Race. Mush bounded over to me.

"Hey, I know I acted like a bone head the other day, not recognizing you and all. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. But man, you should have seen yourself! If I'd had know it was you, I would a been on the ground rolling around." He roared with laughter, until I elbowed him in the kidney. He just chuckled and kept chatting. His good moods were almost impossible to destroy.

When we finally reached Manhattan again, Edge, Guil and I departed the boys and slipped into Medda's. Finding her backstage, we returned her clothes and went into the detailed story of our amazing feat while she put away her things. She paused as she examined my borrowed corset.

"So, this guy comes at my with this club, and Guil comes outta nowhere and whacks him over the head with this pole and-." Edge exclaimed.

"Sorry dear," Medda interrupted, "But Midway, what happened to your corset?" She held up the corset so we could see the shredded front. I shrugged.

"I got frustrated." Medda shook her head and Edge continued her story.

Finally, around seven o'clock, we headed out to the main room to wait for the party to start. Medda was on stage, rehearsing her dance number. Guil, Edge and I were sitting in the audience, talking quietly and watching, slightly disgusted and slightly impressed. We hated the whole 'feminine' 'show way too much skin' thing, but were awed by her grace and charm. I felt a little jealous as I watched her, but knew I would never be able to do something like that. Even though we disagreed with her profession, we loved her to death. She was the only mother figure we ever had. I finished a glass of some strong smelling liquid that tasted good. Medda had called it 'pop', and it was delicious. I felt lighter with every sip.

She finished her song and came over to us, slightly breathless.

"Well girls, the party should start in a few minutes. People have already started arriving. I have to go backstage, but enjoy yourselves." She turned to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot, your friend…Nancy, I think it was, came looking for you. I told her where you were and invited her to the party tonight. She seemed very sweet. Tell her hello for me, will you?" And she bustled away while we stood there in horror. Nancy. Crashing our party. Great.

"Oi vey!" Guil muttered. Edge just looked angry. Her eye started twitching. I laughed.

"Well, I'm not gonna let some prissy little joke of a human being get me down tonight." I stated enthusiastically. Guil glared at me.

"This from the girl who was so moody today, we thought we would have to drag her here?" She asked.

"You try talking to Mush Meyer's for an hour or two and see if you can stay in a bad mood. I swear that boy is too jolly for his own good." I said seriously, then skipped away to greet some incoming newsies. Guil just rolled her eyes and Edge kept eye-twitching.

"Heya boys! Come on in. Take a seat, grab a drink, find a girl to dance with!" I greeted them all excitedly. Jack came in, looking surprised at my happiness.

"Hey Jack! Long time no see, huh?" I joked. He looked at me curiously.

"Are you drunk?" I laughed and slapped his back. "Course not." He nodded skeptically, and moved away.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Somebody's in trouble." An obnoxious voice from behind me taunted. I turned and beamed at Nancy, my least favorite person in the world. She looked highly disconcerted.

"Hello Nancy. I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine." I grabbed a passing Mush by the collar and yanked him towards us. "Nancy, this is Mush. Mush, this is Nancy. Enjoy yourselves." Nancy instantly became smitten with Mush's good looks and sighed deeply. I gave Mush a desperate look, and he silently agreed to entertain my enemy for a short period of time. I hugged him tightly, thanking him for his agreement, and skipped away. Wow, was I drunk? I wasn't normally so…you know…out there.

I got myself another glass of 'pop' and downed it quickly. Damn it was good.

Ok, now I was feeling a little tipsy. I staggered over to Edge and grabbed onto her for support. Her surprised look quickly changed to worried.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I shrugged and passed out. Like I was explaining the whole thing to her. Huh, fat chance.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up to the scent of something very unpleasant, then water being splashed on my face

I woke up to the scent of something very unpleasant, then water being splashed on my face. I sat up sputtering, and threw my arm out in front of me to hit anyone nearby, a reflex. Someone caught it, and gently placed it next to my other arm. I rubbed my eyes and blearily looked around.

"What happened?"

"You kinda passed out. I think you were drunk." Said someone's voice. Edge?

"But, I didn't drink any." I muttered.

"Yea," said that voice again, "Someone spiked the pop. I guess you're just the only one who can't handle a little liquor." People laughed. I groaned and sat up. Edge and Guil were sitting nearby. I was lying on a pallet in some little room in the back of Irving Hall. And the room was packed. I saw Mush, Race, Blink, Jack, and even Skittery standing nearby, looking thoroughly disgusted. Spot was leaning against the door frame, talking to Seal. Patch was sitting right next to me, way too close for comfort. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. My crowd skills needed work.

"Well, she's alive. Let's party." Skittery and Patch ran out the door, eager to join in on the fun. I laughed weakly as I watched them go. Jack closed the door behind them and turned to face me. Like everybody else in the room. He crossed his arms and stared at me. _Um, ok._

"What?" I asked weakly. Edge and Guil were giving me funny looks. The boys just looked angry.

"Um, did you know that you talk in your sleep, at least when you're drunk?" Guil asked gently.

"No, I've never been drunk before. And boy do I have a headache." I groaned and leaned back against the wall, massaging my temples. They all exchanged glances. Jack cleared his throat.

"Well, apparently, you got a few things to explain." He said uncomfortably. _Uh-oh. _

"Wait, what did I say?" I asked the room at large, speaking very slowly and nervously.

"How do you know Cobra?" Jack asked coldly. I gulped.

"Who says I know Cobra?" I weakly defended myself.

"You did." Race said. Damn liquor.

"Mids, how could you not tell us you knew Cobra? We've had problems with them for years. Harlem's been on our asses since he took their thrown." Mush practically shouted at me. I guess his good mood was gone.

"Wait a damn minute. What did I say?"

"If you had told us this, we could have had an alliance with them all this time. Instead, our boy's get into fights with them every day. Look at what happened to me." Blink yelled furiously, pointing at his eye. Tears started welling in mine.

"_What did I say!!" _I screamed at them. Edge looked at me sorrowfully.

"You said, 'visit Cobra, get to Harlem' then muttered a bunch of their slang words." Edge whispered, barely audible in the tiny room, but everybody heard her.

"Oh." I said, then stood up and headed for the door. I wasn't staying in this place one more second. Blink and Jack blocked my way, crossing their arms over their chests like buff bodyguards. Mush grabbed my arm and sat me down on an old crate.

"Tell us what the deal is." Jack commanded. I could still see the faint bruise on his cheek. To think that I had done that only yesterday. It seemed like years ago.

"It's complicated." I muttered. Guil and Edge rolled their eyes at my typical answer.

"We'll try and comprehend." Race said sarcastically. I sighed and took a deep breathe.

"Alright. Well, I was born in Harlem…I think. My brother Patrick and I lived in a tenement with our parents. One day, mom didn't come home. Dad got really upset and started drinking. He became abusive. I was almost five years old. Patrick was eight. I was still a little girl. I still loved my father, even though he hit me. Patrick didn't. Dad came home one day, and Patrick was waiting with his revolver, just in case, like he always did. Dad hit me, and Patrick lost it. He shot our father in the head. And then I was an orphan." I looked up at Edge. She looked confused.

"You never said you had a brother." She said accusingly.

"I never said I didn't have a brother." I shrugged. She snorted. Hey, my name was Midway for a reason.

"Anyway, Patrick became this neighborhood hero. He got in really good with the newsies, always staying out late with them. He abandoned me. So, at five years old, I came to Manhattan and met Edge. We became newsies, and I think you know the story from there." I shrugged again, hoping their questioning was done.

"So how do you know Cobra?" Mush asked.

"Patrick is Cobra." I muttered. Everybody gasped, no seriously, they gasped. "But its not like I see him very often, I mean, he did kinda kill my only link of survival. And even after I told him 'lay off Manhattan', he still tries picking fights. Honestly, the goon-."

"Wait," Mush cut me off. "Cobra is your brother?"

"Yes." I said slowly, nodding up and down. Jack looked at me, shocked, and then socked me in the shoulder. I gasped and grabbed it. It still hurt like hell.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He exclaimed. They all nodded.

"Cause it was none of your business." I stated rudely and stood up once more, heading for the door. Race shoved me back again.

"You know," He said, "If you didn't just help our pals out of a huge pickle, I'd be mad at you." I faked gasped in horror. They chuckled.

"Look, I didn't tell you because it didn't matter. Cobra don't even know what I look like anymore. As far as I'm concerned, we ain't even related. He ruined my life, and I don't want nothing to do with him." Edge nodded as though she understood, and Guil swept me into this huge hug that cut off my wind pipe. The boys just stood there and slapped my back. Spot nodded once curtly and left the room. I stared after him. That boy was weird.

"Can I go enjoy what's left of the party?"

"It's probably over by now." Edge laughed. "You were out for about an hour or so."

"Great," I muttered. "Just my luck." This had been one hell of a week.


	9. Chapter 9

"Please Ms

"Please Ms. Larson, you don't understand." Edge begged our landlord. We had arrived back at our Lodging House well past midnight after we were missing for two days. And she was furious.

"You girls think that you can stay and go as you please. Well, I've had enough. You leave whenever you feel like it, you don't pay your rent on time, and now you bring Anne-Marie home drunk!" I winced as she used my real name.

"First of all, it's Midway. Second, I'm not drunk." I slurred.

"You can't even talk and you smell like liquor. That's it. I've had enough. Get out!" She shouted. The entire bunkroom had woken up now, and was staring at us. We stood there frozen.

"You're kicking us out?" Guil whispered in a small, fragile voice. I could tell she was trying to make Ms. Larson feel guilty. Guil had been the least hated of us three.

"Yes. Now pack your things and leave this instant." She whirled around and swept out of the room.

"Well, now that you're out of our hair, we can all move along peacefully. I must say, it took her a while to come to her senses and finally get rid of you." Nancy stood there looking extremely smug, with an ugly sneer on her face. In my drunken state, I lunged at her, no longer worried about getting in trouble with Ms. Larson; too late for that. Edge grabbed me and held me back.

"C'mon, we got nothing to lose." I said.

"Oh, I know, I just think Guil and I should do this. You can watch." She added helpfully. I nodded. Guil was already advancing on her.

"Hey Mids, which window do you think is the highest" She called. I laughed. Nancy shrunk towards her bed in horror. Edge again cracked her knuckles. Nancy screamed. Now, they didn't work her over too bad. Just a busted lip and black eye. A few bruises. Some missing hair. And those tiny scars near her ear, courtesy of Guil's fingernails. Anyway, we were certain she would never mess with us again.

After making Nancy literally wet herself, we gathered our things and left the building. Ms. Larson had found the beaten Nancy and screamed at us to leave immediately. We slowly walked down the hall, chatting nonchalantly about the weather and headlines, occasionally insulting Ms. Larson as she stood there trying to make us move faster. She yelled some more, but there was nothing she could do. We were free from her tyranny. Finally.

It would have been a joyous occasion if we had had a place to go. We stepped outside the door, and stopped suddenly. Ms. Larson sneered in triumph and slammed the door behind us, knowing we had no place to sleep. I cursed after her.

"What now?" I asked, grabbing my throbbing head. I swear I will never drink again.

"Well, we could try Kloppman's place." Edge suggested. Guil shrugged and we headed toward Duane Street. Normally, after what had happened the last time I went there, I would have avoided the newsboys at all costs. But, I was too dang tired to worry about that now.

"Hey Kloppman." Guil wearily greeted him as we walked into the old building. I could hear the boys upstairs, still awake and riled from the party.

"Girls, is something wrong?" He glanced at my shoulder, but I shook my head at his unasked question.

"Ms. Larson kicked us out. Can we stay here tonight?" Edge asked quietly. Kloppman smiled sadly.

"I don't see why not. There are some extra beds in the bunkroom. Just follow me." He led us upstairs, where I had never been before, into a large room. It had about twenty-five bunk beds and about forty boys, most of them half dressed.

"Wait here." Kloppman whispered to us, leaving us in the shadows of the room, where nobody noticed us.

"Boys!" He called, and they all stopped and turned to hear him. "What would you all say about getting three new roommates?" Most shrugged their indifference. Some called out 'sure' or 'why not'. He grinned and beckoned us forward.

"Hey fellas." Edge called, as happily as she could. At this point we were dead on our feet. They all froze. I laughed out loud at their expressions. Some of the modest ones dashed into the washroom, most just stared incredulously. We ignored them and headed toward the back of the room, where five empty bunks stood. We climbed onto various ones, dumped our stuff on the floor, and slid under the blankets. I fell asleep instantly, ignoring the buzz of noise from the other end of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Needless to say, the next morning was a tad awkward

OK everyone. I haven't gotten a new review in AGES, and am seriously disheartened. I would like to thank those of you who took my pathetic threat to heart and reviewed. Please keep it up. I would also like to say that I don't have a freaking clue as to the actual layout of New York City, so if it's totally whack or something, pay no attention, and just enjoy the plot. **IF U REVIEW I WILL POST MORE OFTEN. THAT WEEK WAIT WAS A PUNISHMENT PEOPLE. I ALREADY HAVE THE NEXT FEW CHAPTER WRITTEN, I'M JUST POSTING AS I SEE FIT DUE TO AMOUNT OF REVIEWING AND READER COUNT. **I love you all.

Needless to say, the next morning was a tad awkward. Kloppman came in shouting for us to get up about four hours after we had gone to sleep. Since I hadn't undressed the previous night, I pulled on suspenders and was ready to go. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and waited down in the lobby with Kloppman until everybody else was ready. Then, in groups, we all made our way to the WDC. The walk was quiet. None of the boys would talk to us. Guil, Edge and I walked in front of them and they all lagged behind, talking quietly and glancing at us. I had hoped they would be a bit friendlier, but it was probably a shock for them.

The day progressed as it normally did. We bought our papes, sold them, grabbed something to eat, bought more papes, sold more papes, and headed back toward 'home'.

As we walked inside, the silence came quickly. I was getting more and more frustrated by this. Did they really have to stop talking every time we walked in a room? Was there something they didn't want us to hear? Gosh, it was annoying.

"Hey goils." Jack called and waved, and I silently thanked him for showing a sign of friendship. We waved back and went over to where he was sitting.

"Look, we were just about to have a meeting. If you all could go upstairs while we talk, we could get on with it." So they had been in the middle of talking about us. My gratefulness towards him evaporated. I was about to say something really snarky, but Edge just yanked me upstairs, out of yelling range.

"What was that for?" I asked her, rubbing my arm.

"We just needed to get out of there. They were obviously talking about something that had to do with us. I say, let them talk. The sooner they do, the sooner it will be over." Guil agreed, so we all sat playing craps on one of the bunks.

An hour later, the door opened, and Snipeshooter walked in. He looked very happy, he was practically bouncing.

"Hey, Jack wants you downstairs." Snipe chimed. We got up and ruffled his hair as we passed. He was a great kid.

We bounded down the stairs and faced a room full of about forty boys. They all were looking at us.

"So," Jack said, and attention snapped on him. "We were just discussing the whole 'you live here' situation and we wanted to go over some things." I raised my eyebrows. Did they have rules for us?  
"See, we're not really comfortable with you sleeping in the same room as us, so we thought we could turn the attic into your room. It's small, but there are only three of you. Also, it has its own washroom, so you can use that. And we just wanted to say, Welcome." I was so surprised at this information I almost ran over to Jack and jumped on him. Instead I ran over to Jack and hugged him tightly. This was possibly the best arrangement I could have thought of, and they had officially welcomed us. It felt so good. We had always been on the outside; just the three of us. Sure, we had been friends with the guys, but now we were one of them.

Jack laughed and hugged me back, then turned and hugged Guil and Edge. I turned to Mush.

"Gosh, I thought you guys were gonna kick us out." I exclaimed. He looked shocked for a second, then doubled over and roared with laughter.

"After what you did to help us with Brooklyn? Ha. I don't think so. We just wanted a more, uh, comfortable arrangement." He said. I slapped him on the back, and went and hugged all the rest of the guys, whether they wanted me too or not.

Turning the old musty attic into our new room took the rest of the evening. Blink and Mush moved the extra beds up there while Guil and I dusted. And man, there was a lot of dust. Jack and Crutchy fixed the plumbing in the washroom, and Race showed up with this large carpet. It was so big and soft. It was a luxury for us. When I asked him where he got it, he laughed and said 'I know a guy.' Finally, when the moon came out, we were done. Guil, Edge and I sat in our new room, staring out the window that took up the whole northern wall. Can you say 'great view?' It also had another small staircase that led to the roof. It was like our own private apartment. I tried to remember the tenement I had lived in. This was nicer than that had been. I remembered Patrick, what he looked like, the scar he had on his cheek from one of his fights. I saw him whenever I went to Harlem, which wasn't often. I don't think he knew where I lived. I had tried to keep my location a secret from him. But he did have his birdies at his disposal. He could be anywhere, at anytime, watching me. I shuddered.

"You alright?" Edge asked from her bed above me.

"Just cold." I lied.


	11. Chapter 11

After that night, things became much easier

After that night, things became much easier. We fell into a comfortable routine. The boys were our new family, and even though we always came first with one another, our bond with them strengthened. It was awesome to be a part of it all. The trust they had with one another was amazing; they always kept their promises and never backed out of a deal. And yet, they were still able to joke and laugh with one another. It was like we were part of an actual family; an experience none of us had had.

Our days were basically the same. We got up early, sold our papes, ate, sold more, ate more, and then went out or to the lodging house and just hung out. When we had been at our old home, routines were not fun; they got boring. But here, there was something new every day. A new joke, a new place to sell, and we were meeting new people all the time; newsboys from all across New York City. The only newsies we weren't friendly with was Harlem; they wouldn't set foot in our territory anymore. No one knew why, but it was refreshingly reassuring to see that my dear brother had had some sense knocked into him. He had to follow rule number one: don't pick a fight you can't win. And boy, did we outnumber them.

May went by pretty fast, and soon the heat of June was upon us. Even though it was bad for everyone to sell together, some days we would all go to Central Park and sell, just cause it was cooler out in the open. Those days were so much fun. We would yell and run and play tag, and just sit around and talk. Guil, Edge and I still sold dressed as boy's everyday, and there were some close calls where we almost got caught.

One time we had been walking around this popular trail that the Richies like to walk, selling our papers. This young rich man, about seventeen, comes up to us and asks for a pape. Guil, Edge and I all automatically hand him one. He laughed, but couldn't figure out why we were staring at him. The thought that we were three fifteen year old girls standing in front of a gorgeous seventeen year old boy, that was way out of our league, probably did not occur to him. We stood there looking like idiots for at least another five minutes until Jack came over and dragged us away. We still get lip about that day from the guys.

And that one time, when I was standing on one side of a road shouting headlines and Edge was on the other side selling, when this big tough guy came up to Edge and got all in her personal space. I watched the whole thing. He walked up to her like he owned the street and just demanded a free paper. Edge refused rudely, from his point of view at least, (I thought it was clever), and he shoved her away. Edge, thinking fast, 'accidently' knocked her hat off and turned to face the guy, ready to fight, with vibrant red curls hanging down her back. Of course, he didn't wanna fight no more cause she was a girl. But it wasn't like Edge was gonna back down. So she threw this right hook that all but knocked the guy out, and he just grabbed his bloodied nose and ran off bawling. I stood there hooting with laughter, while Edge just indignantly picked up her hat. I could hear Guil cackling from down the street.

So, these past few weeks have been like a new start for us. And we never get in trouble with the law any more. Ever since we moved in, the newsies have had our backs. Oscar and Morris Delancy don't even bother messing with us any more; we used to be easy targets. Now, they just glare at us as we walk by. Now that's improvement.

There was only one down-side. Nancy. After that night that we had moved out, she had been on our cases like money on Pulitzer. Every day she followed us to the WDC and literally harassed us. She would walk behind us shouting insults or talk to herself loudly about what pathetic human beings we were. Now, normally that wouldn't have bothered us, but she got really personal. She would shout about the time Edge was nine years old, and we had just moved into the lodging house, and how Edge had walked in dressed as a boy and the other girls had stopped. Edge had walked right up to Mrs. Larson and asked to stay. Mrs. Larson had almost said no, then Edge had promised to help clean and all. I was grateful that Edge had agreed to do that. It gave me and Guil a place to live. But Nancy found it amusing that Edge had to literally scrub toilets to be able to stay, and constantly shouted that Edge should give up her newsie profession and become a janitor, only with more cursing and extremely rude comments. She never missed an opportunity to insult Guil for being a southerner by birth, and often questioned her intelligence, which was ridiculous, since Guil could outsmart Nancy any day. I got frequent comments about my height, and she even went so far as to shout that I was only friends with Edge and Guil because I needed their protection. I almost turned around at that one, but Guil kept me walking forward. We supported each other and ignored her every time she did this. The boys walking with us would give her dirty looks and sometimes shout back at her, which made me giggle. Who knew newsies were chivalrous?

So besides this unsightly blemish on our new life, we had it pretty sweet. The only worries I had were Nancy, who could be easily dealt with, and Cobra. Everyone who had been in that room and discovered the existence of my blood relation to him had taken to giving me funny looks. Especially Jack. I guess he thought there was something that didn't make sense in my story, like the fact that Harlem was predominantly black. Only a few white kids were accepted or allowed to join. The fact that the famous 'Cobra' was white and in charge was probably a shock to him. No one from Manhattan, except me, had ever seen him. They just knew he ruled Harlem with a bad attitude and venom. There had been some nasty incidents with them. Blink's eye, for example, and Crutchy. Sometimes I felt almost personally responsible, like I could stop it all if I wanted too. I knew it wasn't true. Cobra would just be mad that I showed up on his doorstep.

So I ignored the odd looks and carried on as if everything was fine.


	12. Chapter 12

About a month after I moved in, it started to get cooler

Hey everyone. I would just like to thank BlinkNMiss and huffle-bibin for being the only people to review who I don't personally know. I would also like to apologize because this chapter is painfully short, but it takes the story in a new direction that's exciting and fun to laugh at. Thanks for reading, and PLEASE, I am BEGGING YOU, REVIEW!!

About a month after I moved in, it started to get cooler. I rolled out of bed and washed, up, then headed downstairs to bother the boys. We departed the lodging house and made our way to the WDC. Edge, Guil and I jogged down the road, hurrying to keep warm in the cool morning air. Behind us, Nancy, followed, lagging behind sluggishly.

"Hey, Edge, you and Guil should just stop protecting Midway, just for one day, just to see if she could even survive without you two brutes." She shouted behind us. _Shake it off Mids, shake it off._

"I mean, it doesn't look like she could last even an hour." _Picture her drowning, or being run over by horses._

"But I suppose you don't really have much choice. If you give up on her, who else will pass for an eight year old to get government funding for you…" She trailed off viciously. _CHARGE!_

I whirled around and dashed at her. Seeing me come so quickly, with a look of pure death on my face, she squealed and dropped to the ground like a bag of rocks, screaming about not hitting her in the face. I came up short and stopped about a foot away from her, glaring down at her shaking form. _Kick her while she's down!_

"You know, you're lucky that I, unlike you, have a sense of decency." I growled and stalked back to Edge and Guil, muttering about stupid people.

"Excuse me." A voice came from behind us. We turned to see a boy, a little older than us, standing there. His ebony skin was covered in sweat, and his white teeth popped on his face.

"Yes." Edge said politely, but not friendly. Hey, strange boy, not from Manhattan, probably a Harlem newsie by the looks of him. We didn't trust him.

"Do any of you know where I can find Anne-Marie Duncan?" He asked. Edge and Guil, being true professionals, didn't even glance at me. They remained completely silent, letting me decide whether or not to give up my identity. I was silent for a second, and looked around the street. Yep, there, two other boys standing together, looking at this boy. They were traveling together. They were all armed with slingshots, and probably knives. They did not look friendly.

"Actually, you just missed her." I said and pointed to the spot where Nancy had collapsed earlier. It was now deserted, and I could see her hurrying down the street about two blocks away.

"That was Anne-Marie Duncan?"

"Well, she prefers being called Nancy actually. It's her nickname, because she's such a ninny." I lied naturally and convincingly. "I don't think she answers to anything else, actually." I watched as he made a mental note of this. I wasn't sure if our usual disguises had worked, or if they knew that we were girls, so I decided not to mention it.

"You seemed to have a problem with her." He grinned. I smiled slyly.

"She's the one who has a problem with me." I stuck out my hand and spit in it. He did the same and we shook. Hey, I needed to know who this guy was, if he was looking for me.

"I'm Midnight." He said. I laughed.

"Well, I'm Midway. That shouldn't be too hard to remember." We chuckled. Hardeharhar. He met Edge and Guil, then turned and walked over to his pals, and they made there way down the street, in hot pursuit of Nancy.

"Nicely done, Mids." Guil complemented. I bowed.

"Do you think they was from Harlem?" Edge whispered. I shrugged, knowing the answer full well.

"Of course they were Edge." Guil said.

"Which means Cobra sent them looking for you." Edge said to me.

"Hey, you don't know that for a fact. Besides, now they've got Nancy." I said, satisfied with the results of the morning.

"Yea, but sooner or later they're gonna realize Nancy isn't Anne-Marie Duncan." Edge hissed at me.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I said confidently.


	13. Chapter 13

The rest of the day passed normally, no strange people looking for a past me

Ok everybody, this is a new chapter and we learn a few new things about our characters, especially our trio of awesomeness. I would like to thank S.Grim for reviewing, and his/her comments are the ONLY reason I'm posting right now. See folks, I actually already have the next two chapters written, and I'm just posting agonizingly slow as punishment for lack of reviews. My semi-faithful reviewers know who they are and are also very much appreciated with their support. So, let's read, shall we? And REVIEW as well. (this person apologizes for the ridiculous amount of times she says 'review')

The rest of the day passed normally, no strange people looking for a past me. And no Nancy, so that was a plus. We sold, then ate, then sold again, and headed to Tibby's for dinner.

When we walked in, we were greeted by Race and Mush, who ushered us to a table with Jack and Blink already sitting there. We sat and ordered our meals. Then, who should walk out of the restroom but dear old Spot.

"Heya Spot." I greeted enthusiastically. He looked at me as if I were crazy, then sat and dug into his meal. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey Edge, did you hear about what happened to that Nancy broad today?" Mush asked excitedly. My head snapped up so fast, pain streaked through my neck.

"What?" Edge asked cautiously, by no means having forgotten this morning's incident. Guil leaned forward eagerly.

"Some newsies from Harlem dragged her back to their territory. I saw them haul her past. I almost helped, but she probably deserved whatever it was they were doing, and it wasn't none of my business." Mush explained. Blink nodded in agreement.

"They went past me too, Mush. I was selling near the Harlem-Hattan line, and they pulled her right down the street. Man, she was screaming something awful. Wonder what they want her for." Blink pondered.

"I can guess." Jack winked slyly. I kicked him. Edge and Guil looked happy and worried at the same time. I could understand. For one thing, our mortal enemy had been abducted! But it was our fault, and I'd rather it had been her own. Plus, if she got hurt, we would be to blame.

"Maybe I should explain." I said. All eyes were one me. As I explained the morning's incident, understanding lit up Jacks eyes.

"Midway," He said excitedly, "He wants you back. He wants you to go to Harlem."

"Then it's a good thing I'm a good liar." I mumbled. Jack glared at me.

"You have to go back. You could convince him to make peace with us." Jack sputtered. I shook my head. There were some things that I flat out refused to do. This was one of them.

"Not a chance Jack." I said firmly. He grinned and started to argue, but I cut him off. "And don't think you can change my mind like you all did with Brooklyn. Ain't nobody in danger this time. Except for me, if I go." Jack's mouth snapped shut.

"Yea, Jack. If Mids don't wanna go, we can't make her." Race said supportively. Mush and Blink nodded. Edge and Guil exchanged 'duh' looks.

"I think you should go." Spot said coldly.

"Good for you." I stuffed a piece of burger in my mouth.

"Are you being smart with me?" Spot glowered.

"Listen, Ice-Cube. I'm not in the mood today. I ain't going and that's final."

"Fine," Spot shrugged, "I just thought you might want to save yourself the trouble." My damn curiosity got the better of me.

"And what could you possibly mean by that?" I asked angrily. Edge cracked her knuckles. Guil snorted with laughter at some insane moment of supposed hilarity that only she found amusing. Spot looked at me.

"I mean, they're gonna come back for ya. They're gonna know exactly who you are, and they're gonna be mad that you tricked them. They even know your streetname now. Nancy's gonna tell them exactly who you are and where they can find you, probably just for revenge, if not a free ticket out of there." I sat, completely stunned as this news hit me.

"Mids?" Guil said. "Are you alright? You looked kinda pale."

"I'd say she looks more green." Jack commented as I stood and rushed to the bathroom.

Puking had not been on my list of things to do, but hey, I was flexible. Guil came in right behind me, and Edge sauntered in a moment later. When I finished being sick, I turned to face them, wiping my mouth on my sleeve.

"Guys, I am in deep." I said frantically. The thought of Cobra having an informer who knew so much about me was extremely unnerving.

"It's ok Mids." Edge said soothingly, and she lowered a hand and pulled me to my feet.

We walked back to the table and sat. I couldn't finish my meal, so I offered it to Mush, who heartily accepted. Spot looked smug. I had just proved that I wasn't unshakable, like him. _Damn Brooklynite. _

"So, what now?" I asked. Jack grinned.

"Well, if you don't want to go to Harlem, let Harlem come to us. I say we have a meeting with them, see what they want, and you can discuss anything you want, with all of us right there with you. I want to get a look at Cobra anyway." Jack said. "We can have them meet us at Irving Hall. I don't want them near my lodging house."

I thought over his plan carefully. It seemed like a good one. I obviously couldn't avoid this situation forever, better to face it head on.

"All right." I agreed. "If you can get Cobra to meet all of us at Irving Hall, I'll be there."

"Consider it done." Jack exclaimed, then jumped up from his seat, and rushed over to another table where Boots was sitting.

"Well, we'll see how things go then." Spot said, and rose from his seat. As he walked out of the room, I was sure I could still see a smirk on his face.

I sat back, still shaky, and listened as Guil described a customer from this afternoon.

"He was this middle class boy, probably no richer than we are. But he comes up to me and starts talking at me like I'm his damn slave or something. He say's to me 'Hey boy, spot me one of those papes and I'll pay you back later.' And I said, 'Like hell you will' and took off running through Central Park as fast as I could, cause let me tell you, this guy was no shrimp. He musta been at least six feet tall, and probably about two hundred and fifty pounds." She exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration.

"Guys?" I leaned forward and put my elbows on the table, putting my head closer to Edge and Guil.

"Yeah?" They answered in perfect unison. I would have laughed at it if I hadn't been so shaky.

"I…uh…need to tell you something. Patrick might have a specific reason for coming after me, and if it is what I think it is, then you two should know." Edge looked curious, her eyebrows came together. Guil just looked tense.

"What is it?" She asked gently, despite her rigid appearance.

"Before I left Harlem, I took something of my mothers, that, she had _technically_ left to him in her will. But he hardly ever even looked at it. I mean, she should have left it to me. As her daughter, it should be-."

"What is it?" Edge impatiently interrupted.

"Well, actually its two things. One of them was a solid gold locket that was a family heirloom. The other was, well, you're not gonna believe this, but, it was a deed."

"Deed?" Guil questioned. "Deed to what?" I took a deep breath.

"You know the Refuge over on Avon Street?" I asked, looking down at the floor.

"You OWN the REFUGE?" Edge whisper shouted. Guil elbowed her at the same time that I smacked her arm.

"Shut up!" Guil muttered.

"Seriously. My great Uncle built the place as a home for orphans, but when he died, the deed passed to my mother. Snyder got a hold of the building saying that 'women shouldn't be allowed to run and own such large properties'" I explained. Edge looked almost angry.

"How could you have this whole past that we don't know about?" She demanded.

"What, like you don't have a few secrets. None of ever talk about our pasts." I snapped at her. Edge crossed her arms.

"My name is Lauren Darling. I was born in Manhattan. I was an only child. My parents were killed in an apartment fire when I was five years old while I was at school one day. I lived on the streets about a month, stealing to eat. Then I met you." Edge spat at me. I crossed my arms and looked away, fuming.

"My name is Eliza Cole. I was born in Williamsburg, Virginia. My parents were killed in a shooting at work one day when I was six. My little brother was only about two, and he went to live with my Aunt. I lived at a boarding school for about six months, and then decided to bust out. I stole some money off the headmistress, and bought a ticket to New York City. I spent three days on the streets until I met you two." Guil said, just as passionately, but with more sadness in her voice. I gulped, feeling a lump in my throat, while blinking my eyes rapidly to keep tears from spilling out of them.

"Now it's your turn." Edge muttered.

"I'm Anne-Marie Duncan. I was born on the edge of Harlem. My ma disappeared on me one day, then my brother shot my father when he came home drunk. He ran off and joined the newsies, and I ran off to Manhattan. Look," I said, breaking out of my autobiography, "I didn't know that taking that locket and deed would lead to this. When I met you Edge, Patrick was just another newsie in Harlem. He wasn't part of my past yet. Same with you Guil. Patrick didn't get power till a few years ago."

"But, you knew it was him. You _knew_ Cobra was your brother when he became their leader, and you didn't bother to tell us. Just like you didn't bother to tell us that you own the deed to the Refuge." Guil said sadly. She seemed fairly depressed that she didn't know me as well as she thought.

"I'm sorry Guil. I'm sorry! I was going to tell you, but-."

"But what?" Edge mumbled. She too seemed sad, not as angry now.

"But then Blink got hurt! And I was afraid that if you found out that Cobra was my brother, you would all think I had something to do with it. The same with Crutchy. I didn't want you to find out that I was related to our number one enemy. I just wanted to forget about him, and get on with my life!" I croaked out, and I realized I was crying. _Damn it._

They sat there quietly for a minute while I banged my head against the table, trying to bully myself into curbing my tears.

"I'm sorry Mids." Edge said uncomfortably. I sniffed pathetically and looked up ay her.

"You're not mad?" I whispered. She shook her head.

"Of course not." Guil muttered somewhat dejectedly.

I leaped up and grabbed them into a huge hug. They hugged back while I stood there shaking from my pathetic emotional showdown.

"Mids." Guil said.

"Yes, oh wonderful friend of mine." My voice was muffled because it was buried in between their shoulders.

"Your fist is digging into my spine."

I grinned sappily.


	14. Chapter 14

"Mids, that has got to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard

"Mids, that has got to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard." Edge stated.

"What?" I said defensively. "It makes perfect sense. Look, I don't want to be here when Cobra and the rest of Harlem show up, so I can go and hang in Brooklyn for a while."

"Midway, you need to toughen up, and face it." Guil said firmly. I sighed.

After trying to convince my friends that could still make a run for it, and expecting their support and assistance, they had turned their backs on me. Thanks guys.

"But, I don't wanna!" I wailed. Guil rolled her eyes. Edge came over to me, and looked down at my pathetic clump of arms and legs. I had collapsed on my bed as soon as we got back to the lodging house.

"Mids, stand up." She commanded.

"No." I said stubbornly. In all honesty, I sounded like a seven year old.

"Mids…" She said, using her warning tone.

"Humph." I articulately expressed. She sighed.

"Mids, don't make me do this." She warned me. I growled.

She reached down and grabbed my arms and, before I could do anything, had me slung over her shoulder while I pounded on her back, and kicked the air near her face viciously. Edge headed for the stairs. I sent a pleading look to Guil, who, being a sympathetic bystander, cackled at me.

"Edge!" I screeched. "Put. Me. Down." If there was one thing I wouldn't stand for, it was people using my weight against me.

"Fine." She said, and dropped me ungracefully onto one of the boys' bunks. We had entered their room. Spot, Jack, Race, Mush, and Blink all sat there planning their meeting with Harlem. Jack sent Edge an inquisitive look.

"She's planning on running to Brooklyn and hiding out there." Edge explained.

By this time, I had composed myself enough to be sitting Indian style on the bed I had been dumped on, and had crossed my arms.

"What?" Jack exclaimed.

"Traitor." I mumbled, as Guil walked into the room.

"Mids, you are gonna face Cobra. We need you there, to help with an alliance. Besides, I don't think Spot would let you hide in Brooklyn." Jack said.

"Sure he would, right?" I asked. Spot just glared at me.

"Hell no."

"Fine, I'll go to Queens then." I huffed.

"No Midway." Jack said firmly. I glared at him.

"Like you can tell me what to do?" I spat at him.

"Well, technically no. But, yes. I'm gonna say I can tell you what to do." Jack mused.

"Well, try and stop me." And I shot out that door so fast; they didn't know what hit them.

I would have made it out of the lodging house. But, of course, who should I see standing in the doorway when I got to the top of the stairs. None other than Midnight. Apparently, Harlem had arrived.

Mush came barreling around the corner, chasing after me, and almost knocked me down the stairs. He looked surprised that I had stopped short. Jack and all the others came up right behind him and sent me 'oh yea, what now?' looks, thinking Mush had caught me, not just run into me. I motioned wildly with my hands to our visitor in the lobby. Jack's eyes went wide.

"Mush," he commanded, "Take Mids to our room and don't let her out of your sight." Mush nodded and dragged me back to the bunk room, where I promptly had a panic attack.

"Oh my gosh! What do I do?" I started to hyperventilate as Mush stood by uncomfortably, not knowing how to help me.

"I gotta get out of here." I jumped and ran to the fire escape, but Mush beat me to it.

"No, Jack made one thing clear, and you ain't leaving." Mush stated sadly.

I thought briefly of punching Mush, then making a break for it. But, who am I kidding. My punch would be like a mosquito bite: it would only anger him. So I had to try something a little more deceptive. Not to mention underhanded, low, and vile.

"Oh Mush." I sighed. "What am I gonna do?" I hugged him, and started banging my head against his chest like I would a wall. He stood there stiffly, obviously not knowing how to react to the 'girl' in me. Awkwardly, he patted my head.

By this time, I had conjured up some fake tears, and was ready to go. I looked up at him.

"You know Mush, you're a really good friend." I sniffled. His face and body softened a little, though he was still very tense. I did a sort of laugh snort, as though remembering something funny.

"Do you remember that day that we were walking down the street, on our way to Brooklyn, and you didn't recognize us?" I asked. He laughed.

"Of course. I felt like such an idiot." He chuckled.

"I was just wondering, why didn't you recognize us?" I asked in the same dopey seductress voice I had used on Warren.

"Well," He cleared his throat, "You looked different that day." I laughed, in a sad and almost doomed sort of way.

"I guess we looked better than usual, huh?" I mumbled. He quickly shook his head.

"No, I mean, well, not that you didn't look nice, but you always look nice." He said, trying not to insult me.

"Oh, Mush. You're always so thoughtful." I almost gagged at my own prissiness.

"Um, thanks." All this time, I still had my arms wrapped around him. I was starting to doubt my plan. Mush was too respectful to make any sort of move that would allow my escape. I would have to fight even dirtier.

"Mush, right now I just need a hug." And I buried my face into his shoulder, not before I pushed back some vomit on account of myself. His arms wrapped around me, again, awkwardly. I felt guilty as I could tell he was just trying to be a good friend.

Then, I did what I had to do. I took him out of action. I tried not to murder him, like Warren, but I couldn't leave him well enough to move for a few minutes, or speak for that matter. As he hit the floor with a pained groan, a new wave of guilt hit me.

"Mush, I am so, so sorry. You can punish me all you like when this is all over, but right now, I have to go." I whispered desperately, and jumped out the window.

Seconds later I was in the alleyway, running toward the back, trying to avoid the main entrance. I rounded the corner on the back of the building, and came face to face with one of Midnights buddies. I started to backtrack, and ran into a very large Harlem boy.

"This is the one." Said the one who I had bumped into.

"No, you've-." I was cut off by the one behind me.

"Get her!" I blacked out as something clubbed me over the head.


	15. Chapter 15

When I came to, I was collapsed on the wooden floor of something that looked suspiciously like a broom closet

Ok, I'm feeling a little nervous about this chapter because, well, it's ALL Midway. Just Midway, on her own. So, yeah, let me know what you think of it, because it's a little different. Oh, and may I just say that I-I mean Midway, is one lucky SOB.

When I came to, I was collapsed on the wooden floor of something that looked suspiciously like a broom closet. My head was throbbing, and I could feel a lump through my hair. My hat was missing, as was my money, pocket knife, and my shoes. I had no idea why they took my shoes. It was pitch black except for a line of light from under the door, so I felt the walls around me. And a mop and bucket. Definitely a broom closet.

I stood up shakily and grasped the doorknob, which was, of course, locked. They, however, had no idea that I had been carrying a second pocket knife ever since I found out Cobra had been looking for me. I reached into my camisole and pulled it out. Flicking it open, I slide the blade down the crack in the door and heard the lock click.

Stuffing the knife back in its supreme hiding place, I cautiously opened the door an inch. Seeing no one in immediate sight, I slipped out of the room and into the hallway. I could see a flight of stairs that led downstairs. I assumed I was in Harlem's lodging house. Glancing into the room on my left, I knew I was right when I saw about twenty or so bunk beds.

Approaching the stairs, I peered down them. Looking out a window I could see it was around noon. They were all probably still selling. A loud bang of a door slamming made me jump about a mile.

"So, you finally got her?" Said a voice that was all too familiar.

"Yea. It's her for sure. I seen her with me own eyes. I carried her here, I should know." Said a cold voiced Midnight. "Look Cobra, I'm sorry about the mix-up before, but you gave us nothing to work off of. But, we got her. All's well that ends well."

Cobra grunted noncommittally, and they both started to ascend the stairs. I shot into the bunkroom, and leaped into the top bunk farthest from the door, crawling under the covers. They walked past me without looking in. Down the hall, I could hear the key turning in the lock, and the click as it unlocked. I heard the door creak slowly open, then silence. My heart was beating so irrationally hard, I thought for sure they would hear it.

"Where. Is. She?" I almost felt bad for Midnight.

"She was here. We left her locked up right-." He was cut off as Cobra punched him so hard that I could hear it clearly as he hit the ground.

"Well then, we'll have to go find her, won't we? Round up the boys, we're searching Harlem. And we won't stop til we find her." Cobra growled. I lay perfectly still as he and Midnight rushed down the stairs and out the door.

I slipped off the bed and raced across the room to the window. Cobra and Midnight were running full speed down the street, yelling at other boys. Whirling around, I started to search the room for something useful. I was not disappointed. A found a bag filled with money, and even though I knew the kid deserved to be robbed, I only took what I would need to get home. Thinking at my highest capacity, I climbed out of the window out onto the fire escape. There was an apartment building adjacent to this one. Fighting my fear of heights, I leaped from my fire escape to the one outside a third story apartment. My body slammed into the metal railing so hard it knocked the wind from my lungs, but I clutched the iron bars and pulled myself over them. I didn't have time to catch my breath.

I started to climb the ladders, peeking into each apartment, until I found one on the sixth story that seemed appropriate. The window was wide open, so I climbed inside and rolled over onto my side. Finally slowing down, I breathed deeply and lifted my shirt. I had a nasty bruise on my ribcage, and one of them was probably broken from the impact. I would have to think about that later.

I started to search the room I was in. It was a young woman's bedroom, which was why I had chosen it. I raided her closet and grabbed a nice dress. I removed my shirt and pants and pulled it over my head, trying to ignore the pain in my ribs. I chose a pair of flat soled shoes to wear. I couldn't run in heels. A maroon purse hanging on her mirror caught my eye. Yanking it off, I stuffed my shirt and pants in it. I twisted my hair up on top of my head with a pair of pencils from her art kit. I glanced at my reflection, making sure it would fool any passerby. Throwing a few coins on her dresser, I left the room, then, on a whim, grabbed a bonnet hanging on a hook by the door. It would hide my face. Mentally preparing myself, I slipped out the door and descended six flights of stairs with a straight back and small steps, trying desperately to remember Medda's teachings on being feminine.

The streets outside were crowded and I blended in perfectly. Newsies were running all around me in a panic, apparently having heard the news of my escape. They ignored me completely as they looked for me. Ironic, isn't it?

Flagging down a taxi cab, I flung some money at the driver and climbed into the carriage, more gracefully than ever before. He clicked at the horses and we were moving down the street.

As I looked out the window of the buggy, I was grateful I had chosen a closed one. I relaxed in the seat for a moment, not allowing myself to breathe deeply because it hurt my ribs. Newsies outside were running frantically, dashing into alleyways and even looking behind garbage bins.

"Hey, watch it!" One of them shook his fist at me as he stepped in front of the horses. The driver yelled at him to get out of the way. Soon we were out of Harlem territory. The driver turned around in his seat and looked through the slit in the wall.

"Where to now miss?"

"Manhattan please. Duane Street. Do you know where the Newsboys Lodging House is?" He nodded, looking confused as to why I was going there.

"My uncle runs the place." I explained, and, nodding once, he started the carriage again.

An hour or so later, he pulled up in front of the building. I glanced out the window and saw what I had feared. A Harlem newsie was standing nonchalantly next to the door. And I could bet my boot there was one guarding the back entrance.

"Um, sir. Could you pull up in front of that building there? I'll be staying there tonight and I'd hate to have to walk all that way. After all, it is getting dark." I managed to crank out yet another lie. He looked at me like I was an annoying little fly, but consented.

"Anything else, _miss?_" He asked mockingly.

"No sir. Thank you. Have a good evening." I slipped out of the buggy, and walked into the tenement building as naturally as I could. I proceeded to the roof of the building, thanking the lord that it had the same number of floors as the lodging house. Glancing around the rooftop to make sure no on else was there, I spotted a small pile of lumber. I searched through the wood until I found a long, wide, sturdy piece. As I struggled with its weight, I carried it to the edge of the building. I prayed as I laid it out to see if it would reach. It was long enough, but was I brave enough? _You jumped off a fourth story fire escape. You can do this._

Glancing over the edge to make sure no one was in the alley, I pulled myself onto the board. I probably would have stood there, frozen, if I hadn't heard people climbing the stairs to the roof. I scrambled across to the other roof and yanked the board onto the other side so hard I got splinters in my hand. I fell to the ground as a couple walked onto the rooftop of the other building. Army crawling, in a dress, with a broken rib, I made it to the small door that led into our personal flat. It was locked.

Cursing under my breath, I snatched my pocket knife clumsily, accidentally slicing my thumb as it clicked open. Once I had the door unlocked, I stumbled down the cramped, rickety staircase. The room was deserted, so I climbed down to the second floor. When I appeared in the doorway of the boys' room, there was silence. I saw Mush looking angry, shocked and relieved at the same time. It was the only thing I could take in before my head started to spin, and the lights in my head began to dim. _Passing out had better not become a habit of mine,_ was the last thought I had before I collapsed onto the ground and fell into unconsciousness.


	16. Chapter 16

**Yea, Yea, I know I haven't updated lately. You try being me and writing this stuff. IT'S HARD. ANYWHOO….I want to thank my latest reviewer Leprechaun-something-or-there. It totally made my day. And just a warning, it's got a little too much Mush for my taste, and yes, even though I wrote it and I love Mush, I'm not sure if there will be any romance at all, and if it will even be Mush…**

When I came too, I immediately wished I had not. If you've ever woken up and had all the pain that hadn't been able to reach you while you were in Lala Land, suddenly hit you all at once, you know it is absolutely agonizing. It took me a moment to realize why I had awakened. Someone had a handful of smelling salts practically stuffed up my nose. I gagged and swatted the hand away, which hurt, a lot.

"Why?" I moaned. "Why did you wake me up? Are you stupid?" I was muttering so incoherently, I was surprised they understood what I was saying, although I had yet to learn who 'they' were.

"We just wanted to talk to you." Said a voice I recognized faintly as Jack's. He was speaking kindly, but sternly, and I knew my best bet at getting more sleep was answering all and any questions, and then telling him to beat it.

"What do you want to talk about?" Like I didn't already know.

"What happened?" A male voice asked. I couldn't register who it was.

"Would you mind fetching me a drink before I reiterate my grand adventure?" I asked, my words drowning in sarcasm. I heard someone leave the room.

It was around now that I decided to check out my surroundings. Forcing my eyes to focus, I found I was in my own bed, a thick blanket pulled up to my chin. I could see Jack, Edge, Guil, and Blink, who was stuffing smelling salts into a small bag. I sent him my evilest glare, which he returned with a smirk and a shrug. I could see his shoulders shaking with laughter. Rolling my eyes, I forced my arms to push myself into a sitting position so I could lean against the headboard of my bed. Jack and Blink whirled around so I could only see their backs. I must have looked confused because Edge came over to me and kindly explained what, in my delusional state, I had not realized. My entire upper body was covered in bandages, from under my armpits to my naval. I looked at myself in shock.

"Please tell me the doctor was a woman." I begged as a wave of embarrassment hit me. Edge giggled and shook her head. I could feel my face turning red.

"But the nurse who patched you up was." Guil put in. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." I muttered.

"Are you decent yet?" Blink asked impatiently. I wanted nothing more than to chuck something at him. I had no idea how I was going to get a shirt on, just the thought of bending my arms hurt. It was then that I realized that they were covered in bruises.

I pulled the blanket around me, which was a painfully slow action, until I was completely covered.

"Decent." I said. Jack and Blink turned back around as I was still examining one of my arms as though it were a world wonder.

"What happened?" Jack asked again.

"I jumped off a fire escape." I said. "Where's that drink?" Right on cue, Mush walked in with cup of water, which he thrust at me. I studied him. He didn't seem angry, but I still wasn't sure.

"You jumped off a fire escape?" Guil asked in bewilderment. I nodded as I gulped down the cool water, which was already helping to wake me up.

"Why don't you tell us the whole story, starting with how you got away?" Jack said, and I could tell he was irritated at me for leaving in the first place.

"I climbed out a window." I answered simply. Mush flushed and whispered something to Blink. Thankfully, Jack didn't notice. Although he didn't seem satisfied with my answer, he accepted it and continued.

"What then?"

"I ran down the alleyway, and was cornered by some guys from Harlem. One of them clubbed me over the head, and I blacked out."

"That explains that lump on your skull." Blink commented. I nodded.

"Then?" Jack continued.

"I woke up in a broom closet in their Lodging House, escaped and came back here." I never was one to explain the details. Jack gave me a look that told me he was losing patience with me. Sighing, I told the whole gory story, jumping, stealing, the carriage, the plank. They were all in shock when I finished.

"Oh, and I need a new hat. They took mine." I added in the silence following my escapade. Only Edge chuckled at my spontaneity.

"Look. You've been out about twenty-four hours. We contacted Cobra, and he's agreed to meet us at Irving Hall tomorrow night to talk things over."

"I ain't going." I mumbled as I shied away from them all.

"Yes, you are." Jack growled. "Now you can be a baby about it and make yourself look stupid, or you can do what we tell you, and this can all be straightened out."

"I. Do. Not. Want. To. See. My. Brother." I hissed. Jack sighed exasperatedly.

"Why don't you take some time to think about it?" He suggested, and ushered everyone out of the room, even a protesting Edge and Guil. Mush stayed where he was.

"I need to talk to her." He said to Jack, who nodded understandingly, as though he were in on the whole operation.

I bit my lip as Mush dragged a stool to the edge of the bed and sat heavily.

"Let me see your arm." He said, out of the blue. I suspiciously handed it to him. He looked at each bruise, and stopped when he came to a particularly bad one just above my elbow.

"This where you hit the fire escape?" He asked. I nodded warily. Even the slight pressure of his fingers made it twinge in pain. He suddenly let it go and just sat there, staring at a spot on the wall. If I had had a clock, the seconds ticking by would have driven me crazy. I sat there with my arms crossed, refusing to break first in whatever battle of the wills this was. My resolve crumbled quickly.

"Mush, I'm sorry!" I wailed. He turned slightly surprised eyes to me.

"Sorry? About what?" He asked, pretending to be confused. I glared at him.

"Don't make me say it." I grumbled. His next words let me know that my cheeks had flushed.

"Yea, because I see how that situation must have been incredibly embarrassing for you." He snapped. I realized that I had finally made him snap out of his happy demeanor, the one that usually brightened my day. I cradled my head in my hands.

"Mush, I know it was a dirty, rotten thing to do, and I'm sorry, but I panicked and it seemed like the only option I had at the moment." Mush sighed, and I knew that he was on the path to forgiveness.

"I still can't believe you thought I would fall for the seductive bit." He teased me as my face flamed.

"I had to try." I said stiffly and stuck my nose in the air. He chuckled. "Are we good?" I asked him. His expression suddenly became serious.

"I…I don't know. I just don't think I can trust you after that stunt." He admitted.

"What would I have to do to earn that trust back?" I asked desperately. Mush was one of my closest male friends, and his friendship was worth a lot to me.

"I guess you'll have to prove that you're trustworthy again." He said. I scowled at him playfully and he smirked with arrogance, and he rose to leave.

"You'll need to change those bandages every day." He added as he slipped out the door. I looked down and realized my blanket was falling off one of my shoulders. Cursing at myself, I threw it over my head, and fell back asleep, my previous exhaustion hitting me hard.


	17. Chapter 17

I woke up several hours later. The light from our window told me it was just after dawn. I was alone; Edge's and Guil's bunk beds were empty and messily made. It took me a second to figure out where I was and what had happened. As the memory rushed back to me, I slowly pushed myself up and cautiously kicked back my blanket, testing my body to see how sore I still was. It wasn't pleasant, but I wasn't in agonizing pain anymore either, so I stood up and slowly walked across the room to our dresser. After getting dressed, I headed down the stairs to the second floor. I expected to find the bunk room completely empty, and thought that maybe another escape attempt would be possible. I shuddered when I thought of speaking with Cobra. I got quite a shock when I stepped into the bedroom to find it full of either sleeping or quietly sitting boys. Apparently it was a Sunday. I wasn't really sure, and didn't really care. Jack, who was one of the few who naturally rose early, spotted me and slipped to my side. He grabbed my arm and jerked me outside the room.

"So, did you think about it?" He asked. I looked at him, confused. "Did you decide what you're going to tell Cobra?" He clarified. My features darkened.

"Jack, I thought I made myself clear when I said I wasn't going to talk to Cobra." I said as stubbornly as I possibly could. He frowned.

"Look, you're my newsie-." He began, but I cut him off.

"You got no power over me, as I said before."

"Fine. How about I change our arrangement. If you don't talk to Cobra, I will not only kick you out of the lodging house, I will kick your ass as well. Don't even start to think that just because you're a girl, you can get away with putting my boy's in danger. That chivalry shit don't work here." He gripped me arm painfully tight. I had never heard him threaten me before, but I had no doubt in my mind that he would follow through with his promise. That just meant that I would try to escape all the harder.

"I get your point. Let go of me…now." I said, trying not to look intimidated. He looked me up and down, then roughly pushed my arm out of his grasp and stalked back into the boy's bunk room.

I briefly thought about making a run for it, just bolting down the stairs and dashing out the door. But, I knew it was a risky thing to do. Harlem was probably still secretly guarding all our entrances. And, unless I wanted a repeat of yesterday, staying indoors would probably be safer for me.

Resigning myself to putting up with my conditions for the moment, I stalked down the stairs and into the lobby, where a tired looking Edge and Guil sat.

"Heya guys." I said, and plopped down next to them in an old chair. They both stared at me.

"We gotta talk." Edge said in a rarely serious voice. I raised my eyebrow.

"What do you think Cobra wants with you? And what are you gonna say to him?" Guil asked, her voice a mixture of urgency and curiosity.

"I ain't plannin' on sayin' anything to the punk. I ain't plannin' on seeing him at all." I growled. Their faces hardened.

"Look Mids. We love you an' all, but we agree with Jack on this. This could be our chance to make peace with Harlem. I been soaked at least a dozen times by them over the years, and it wasn't fun. I'm not passing up an opportunity to put all that crap behind me." Edge spat.

"Jack's got the rest of the boy's in agreement. They all want to you to meet with Cobra and straighten this out. And, if you refuse, things could get ugly. No one is really happy with you right now. In fact, Blink's pretty pissed." Guil explained. I sat there thinking. _Even my own friends have abandoned me. Well, I guess it's time to make my choice. Move on, or meet with Patrick._

I sat there deliberating for a long time, or at least it seemed like that to me. Finally, I looked up and sighed.

"Look, when I left Patrick, I said something I probably shouldn't have. I told him that I knew it was him who killed our Pa, and that one day, I would turn him in for it. I was just so angry at him, it flew outta my mouth. Next day, I'm on my own. Patrick was old enough to be held responsible for his actions, and he knew it. When I was running away from our apartment, he chased me, trying to keep me from telling the cops what he had done. I got away. Of course, I never told anyone, but I doubt that would stop him from believing that I never would. And this isn't the first time he's tried to get to me. The incidents with Blink and Crutchy were both attempts to grab me and haul me back to Harlem. Blink and Crutchy both were there at those times, and tried to defend me. I knew that it was Patrick all along. And, I guess you could say that I let Blink and Crutchy get hurt. But, I never intended to make anyone get involved in this. It just kinda happened." I ran out of breath, and stopped, afraid that they would stand up and start hitting me. Instead, an unexpected voice came from the door.

"Well, that's quite a tale." Spot Conlon drawled from the doorway. The light from the street outside made it hard to see his face, but I could tell he was smirking. And he had a good reason to. Depending on how long he had been standing there, I had just given him a valuable piece of information.

He stepped into the room and walked towards me. Grabbing my wrist, he started to drag me up the stairs, while I vehemently protested. He ignored me. Pulling me into the bunkroom, he pushed me directly into Cowboy, who looked at the two of us and quirked an eyebrow.

"Now," said Spot, "Tell him what you just told me."

"I didn't _tell_ you anything." I spat angrily. "You were eavesdropping." Spot shrugged.

"Same difference. Now tell Jack. The whole story." He commanded.

"Make me." I growled scathingly.

By this time, I was standing between the two boys, who both had their arms crossed, in what I thought was an excessively hostile way. The rest of the boys had woken up, due to our loud conversation, and were either glaring at us, or peering inquisitively.

Spot shoved me into Jack, who shoved me back into Spot. Jack's threat flashed through my head, and my resolution wavered for an instant. But, the thought of proving them right about their theories about girls and their low tolerances for pain stopped me. I stood my ground.

"Tell us Midway. I don't want to make you, but I will." Jack warned. I glared at him, but didn't budge an inch from where I was. At some point, I was aware that Edge and Guil had entered the room. Sighing, I recanted my tale to Jack, as well as the entire bunkroom, which happened to be listening in. When I had finished Blink and Crutchy were standing there. Crutchy looked sad and betrayed; Blink looked murderous. I started to back away at his expression, but Jack stopped me.

"Alright, well, we've made some progress. At least now we know what Cobra wants you for. So, when you two talk you can get everything straightened out, and we can go back to being two peaceful boroughs." Jack said, more to himself than me. I snorted in disbelief. Jack looked at me sharply and grabbed the collar of my shirt. I winced.

"Broken ribs." I reminded him softly. He didn't loosen his grip.

"Listen up. You brought all of this upon us. Cobra only hates Manhattan because _you_ live here. And worse, you knew what would happen when you came here and he discovered you. And even when someone got hurt, you didn't say a thing. I ought to kick you out right now and let Harlem deal with you. Would you like that? Huh?" He roared in my face. My breathing became labored as his elbow jabbed my broken ribs repeatedly. He didn't seem to notice that my focus was slipping, or that my eyes couldn't focus on his, or that I couldn't seem to hear what he was saying. He did seem to notice, however, when I fell unconscious, and he was left holding up all my weight with one arm.

I came to a few moments later when someone threw a bucket of water on me. I spat out what had landed in my mouth, and looked wildly around. Jack stood over me, arms crossed. He was muttering.

"…can't even stay awake long enough for me to yell at her right…"

I glared at him and leaped to my feet, as fast as I could in my injured state.

"What the hell did you do?" I shouted right into his face. He leaned right back.

"What did I do? You're the one who blacked out. What's wrong with you?" He roared at me. I jerked up my shirt to show my bandaged ribs, which had opened up again in our little scuffle, and were now bleeding through the bandages. As any decent boy would have done, he averted his eyes, looking astonished that I would show so much of myself. But I wasn't about to give up.

"Oh, I don't know…MAYBE IT WAS THE LOSS OF BLOOD!" I screamed as loudly as I possibly could. Edge stepped forward and gently pulled the shirt out of my grasp, letting it fall back into place. Spot stared at me, an unrelenting stare that looked like he was trying to read my mind. I whirled on him.

"What?" I snapped. He raised his eyebrows at my peculiar behavior.

"Just like a chick to act so out of it." He said, quietly, but clearly. I glared at him, and considered throwing a punch, but thought better of it.

Edge, however, didn't even hesitate. She stepped around me and punched him right in the face. Her fist hit his jaw with an immensely satisfying _whack_ and Spot staggered back a few steps, running into the wall. Not one to show pain or fear of any kind, he didn't grab at his face, or sink to the floor, he just stood there, staring at Edge. I was a little scared for a moment, unsure of what would happen next. Edge broke the silence and tension by speaking calmly.

"Now Midway here has been under a lot of stress lately, and I think we outta give her a break for a minute. We all need to sit down and calmly talk this out."

We all stared at her in disbelief, wondering how on earth she could be speaking to us about remaining calm. Finally, I spoke up.

"Look, I've reconsidered and I'm willing to meet with Patrick if you all come with me. I don't know exactly why he wants me, but I'm willing to give this a shot."

Jack stared at me for a minute. Then, reluctantly, he nodded and stepped forward.

"Alright then, that gives us the rest of the day to prepare. We'll all meet tonight at Irving Hall. Then you and Cobra are gonna sit down and figure all this shit out. And after that, I'm not sure yet." He shrugged. I looked at him, puzzled.

"Whaddya mean?" I asked slowly.

"I mean that I'm not sure if I want you to stay in Manhattan." Jack said simply. As he said the words, I heard both sounds of anger and agreement, and I couldn't believe I had gotten myself caught up in this mess. Gulping down the vomit that had risen in my throat, I looked him in the eye.

"Okay," I said, "Fair enough."

My fears started to hit me all at once as we all walked down the road towards Irving Hall. They bombarded my brain from the inside of my skull, and there was no stopping them. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't walk straight. Edge and Guil kept having to steady me.

We stopped in front of the building, and everyone looked at me. Ignoring their stares, I stepped in front of them and seized the handle of the door, pulling it open. I figured that since I had no way out of this, I might as well get it over with as soon as possible. They all followed me inside.

We were supposed to meet in the main theatre, next to the bar. We walked in and there they were, the people I had spent the last three years avoiding completely. I walked towards them and stuck out my hand.

"Well, you finally got me here. What do you want?" I asked, shaking hands with Cobra. He had gotten taller, bigger, and more menacing. His name fit him perfectly. He grinned.

"Just to talk. Midway, huh? An interesting name. Suits you." He said smoothly. I grimaced.

"Alright then, well, whaddya wanna talk about?" I pushed. He laughed at my urgency, as thought this meeting was something nonchalant.

"Fine, if you're so eager to get down to business, we can begin." He turned to his boys. "Fellas, would you mind giving us a bit of privacy?" He asked, even though it was hardly a question. They nodded and were all out the door in moments, leaving Cobra alone with me and the Manhattan newsies. I took this opportunity to see how my friends had reacted to my brother.

They were staring, flat out staring, at him. A few had their mouths hanging open, as though they couldn't believe that they were finally seeing the great Cobra. Only Jack and Spot had managed to keep completely calm and cool. Especially Spot. He looked as though this person was of no more importance than his big toe. Cobra cleared his throat.

"Um, do you mind giving us a few minutes boys, we need to talk." He said. Jack gave me a glance and I gave him a look back that told him it was ok. Then they all turned and followed the Harlem boys into the streets. Edge and Guil gave me worried glances as they were shepherded out of the room. I watched them all go, then turned around to face Cobra.

"Have a seat sis." He said, pulling out a chair for me at a nearby table. I sat cautiously, wondering if he had rigged it or something.

"All these years, and I ain't seen a lick of ya. What gives kid?"

"I quit, in case you didn't get the message. I told ya I wasn't gonna be seeing you no more." I said sarcastically. Cobra shook his head sadly.

"You coulda been a big shot in Harlem sis. Now it looks like neither side is too happy with you."

"Because of you." I snapped at him. He shook his head.

"Hey, you made your own decisions. You agreed to go to Manhattan and spy for me. You were good too." He added.

"I was five! I had no idea you would use any information I gave you to hurt those boys. You used me Patrick, and I still don't forgive you. I have to see Blink and Crutchy every day. I can't believe you would do that to them!" I yelled.

"Hey," he said defensively, "That was never s'posed to happen. Things just got outta hand, alright. Besides, you gave us that information."

"I had no idea what I was doing. How I supposed to know that you would translate 'The boys will be selling near the docks tomorrow' into 'attack at the docks tomorrow'. I spat at him, unleashing all my pent up frustration. "Besides, I didn't come here to talk about my past; I came here to see why you kept sending your goons after me. _What do you want, Patrick?_" Patrick looked me up and down.

"All right kid. I want you to come back and start working for me again. I just lost one of my best spies, and I need a new guy. You would be great." He said, offering me a new position, a great position. I laughed.

"Patrick, how many times do I have to let you know? I don't want to spy anymore. I did it when I was little. It was a game to me then, like tag. But I am sick of lying to my friends. This past week has been like hell for me. And all because of you. I have been beaten up, chewed out and kicked around. I'm tired of this crap Patrick. My answer is no." I finished tiredly.

Cobra stared at me, like he was trying to put together a puzzle, but he was missing some important pieces.

"Well then, if that's the way things are gonna be, then that's what they're gonna be. I gotta say, it's a shame though. You woulda been great sis." My heart loosened in relief at his calmness.

"So you'll stop attacking Manhattan?" I asked nervously.

"Well," he hesitated, "I guess so. If you flat out refuse, then there's not much I can do to change your mind. I just want one more thing."

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"I want your word that you will never tell the cops about what happened to dad." He said, becoming suddenly menacing and scary. I nodded solemnly.

"Good then. See you around sis." And the words sounded more like a threat than a farewell.


	18. Chapter 18

We didn't discuss what had happened until we got back to the lodging house that night. The walk home was completely silent. Edge and Guil were at my sides the entire time, but none of us spoke a single word. When we walked into the building, the boys walked up to their bunkroom, and all shut the door. I looked after them in wonder, as I had expected a full on frontal attack.

"What gives?" I asked Edge quietly.

"Jack told them not to talk to you tonight. He figured you would want the night to figure everything out." She shrugged. Marveling at Jacks apparent consideration, I lead the way up to our room.

It felt like it had been ages since I had undressed and gone to sleep like a normal person, as my sleeping pattern had lately consisted of passing out when getting hit over the head. It felt weird.

"So," Edge said. I cringed. I knew that Jack's orders didn't apply to them.

"What did he say?" Guil asked. I turned to look at them calmly.

"Well," I began. "He wanted me to join him."

They raised their eyebrows in confusion.

"Why?" Guil asked.

"Yeah," Edge said. "No offense, but why would he want you? You're just a regular newsie like the rest of us." I sighed and lowered myself onto my bed.

"No, I'm not. Or, at least, I wasn't back then." I said. If I was going to tell them the truth, I was going to tell them the whole truth. Guil's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that when we were little, I mean just around six or seven, I was Pat-I mean Cobra's, birdie. He would have me meet him every evening and tell him where the majority of the boy's would be selling the next day. I didn't know I was spying. I thought it was all an exciting game. Then Blink and Crutchy got hurt in that raid at the docks. I broke off all contact with him as soon as I put two and two together. I made him think that I had left the city. He didn't know where I was until we sprung Brooklyn. When he heard about that, he figured out I was still here." I said slowly, letting it sink into their minds. They were both staring at me blankly. Then Edge's eye started to twitch. Guil's fists clenched. I backed away.

"You were spying for Cobra?" Guil asked me in a deadly voice. "Why didn't you tell us?" She spat.

"I couldn't tell you when I was actually doing it. Cobra threatened to kill me. And he said he would hurt you guys too. Afterwards, well, I was just too ashamed. I didn't want you to know." I whispered back. I was pleading with my eyes for them to understand. At least Edge's eyes had stopped twitching. Actually, she had become eerily calm.

"Well," She said in a pleasant voice. "At least you decided to finally be completely honest with us. That was probably a hard thing to do. I can understand why you didn't tell us. I mean, I'm pissed as hell, but I understand." She said. Then she climbed into bed, and blew out the candle.

I woke up the next morning at a decent hour. It was just after sunrise. I rolled over and saw that Edge's and Guil's bunks were already empty. Sighing, I got up and pulled on my pants. I threw on my oldest, most worn shirt, which was also my most comfortable, and hooked on suspenders. Suspenders just weren't made for girls. They work fine on men, and I can get by with them, but they were always pushed towards my armpits, which accentuated what small curves I tried to hide. But hey, if I wanna keep my pants up, suspenders it is.

Yanking on shoes, I plodded down to the second floor. I could hear the usual morning babble coming from the boy's room. I poked my head in and looked around.

Guys were getting ready everywhere. Some of the older ones were shaving. They were pulling on clothes, scrubbing themselves, or combing their hair back. I laughed at the look of concentration on Cowboy's face as he did his hair. I slipped out of the doorway before anyone could spot and question me.

I was halfway to the distribution center when it happened. Two of Cobra's boy's slipped out of an alleyway I was passing and grabbed my arms. They yanked me into the shadows and slammed me against the wall. I gritted my teeth as the soreness from the last few days started to come back. Old bruises started to throb.

"Well, well, well. Whaddya we got here?" The taller of the two said. I recognized him as one of Midnight's friends. And the other one was Midnight himself. The friend tightened his grip on my wrist, digging my skin into the hard brick. "You know, we didn't know you were a girl the first time we saw ya. We thought you was just another Manhattan newsie. You probably thought you was real clever, trickin' us like that." He growled. I could see him slip a pair of brass knuckles onto his hand as he spoke. Great, these guys were gonna be the crap outta me. And no one was coming to help me, to save my ass this time.

I did the first thing my emotions let me do. I started to bawl my eyes out. Sobs racked my body. And I started screaming senselessly at them.

"Do you know what kind of week I've had? DO YOU KNOW!" I shrieked. "My brother comes out of nowhere, trying to get to me. I get abducted, beaten up and then locked in a friggin closet somewhere. Then, I break a few ribs escaping!" Tears were running down my face.

"I had to steal from an innocent woman. DID YOU KNOW THAT? AND THEN I ALMOST DIED OF A HEART ATTACK TRYING TO GET OUT OF YOUR TERRITORY." My screams could probably be heard from miles away. "I HAD TO TRICK ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, AND HURT HIM A LOT. AND THEN I HAD TO LIE TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS! AND THEY PROBABLY WON'T FORGIVE ME! I WOULDN'T!" Oh, my God. I was having a mental breakdown in front of these boys. But I couldn't stop. "THEY HATE ME NOW! THEY MADE ME GO AND TALK TO MY BROTHER, AND THREATENED TO KICK ME OUT! AND STUPID SPOT CONLON HAS TO MAKE ME TELL EVERYONE EVERYTHING SO THEY HATE ME EVEN MORE! AND THEN COBRA WAS ALL MEAN! I MEAN, I AM HIS SISTER. COULDN'T HE SHOW A LITTLE SYMPATHY? COME ON!" My chest hurt from the sobs that were ripping through me.

"THEN I FINALLY THINK IT'S ALL OVER, THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY. THEN YOU SHOW UP OUTTA NOWHERE, AND NOW YOU'RE GONNA BEAT ME UP EVEN MORE. WELL, GO AHEAD! I'M A FREAKING TARGET TO EVERYONE APPARENTLY! AND TO TOP EVERYTHING OFF! _THESE SUSPENDER'S DON'T FREAKING FIT ME!_" I screamed and let my legs collapse. The Harlem boy's were still holding onto my wrists, and that alone kept me from hitting the ground like a sack of rocks. I felt the boy with brass knuckles let me go, and Midnight lowered me to the ground. I felt an awkward pat on the back, and heard the sound of retreating footsteps. Wiping my eyes, I looked around. They were gone. Holy crap.

I forced myself to my feet, using the wall for support, and stumbled to the end of the alley. The street was empty. A sudden round of fresh sobs hit me, and I dissolved into tears again. It was weird. In my head, I was thinking clearly, telling myself to stop, but my body wouldn't listen. My eyes cried of their own accord. I finally got control of myself a few minutes later, and got to my feet, checking the street to make sure it was empty. It was. I hurried out of the alley and started down the street towards the WDC.

"Well, that's one way to ward off an attacker." An amused voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Don't you ever go to Brooklyn?" I snapped, hurrying away from Spot's knowing look.

"I just left there, actually. I told Jack I would meet with him today." He said. "Then I heard you bawling." He smirked. I clenched my teeth and ignored him.

"Just like a chick to get all emotional when faced with getting worked over a little." He said. I spun around and stepped in front of him. I barely reached his nose.

"Look Spot. I don't care what you think. Your opinion is shit to me. So you can stop talking about everything like you think I'm listening to you." I said as venomously and meanly as I could. I spun around to walk away, but Spot grabbed my shoulder and spun me back.

"Nobody talks to me like that." He snarled. I laughed.

"I just did." I spat, jerking out of his grip.

"You got a real attitude, you know that?" He spat back. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away. He followed me.

"You think you're some big shot who has every right to talk to anybody any way they want?" He asked.

"No, that would be you." I threw at him. He grabbed my arm.

"You know," he said. "I've never beat up a girl before, but I'm starting to consider it." I laughed.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Conlon. I'm gettin tired of your empty threats."

And then he threw a punch at my gut. I wasn't fast enough to dodge it, and I doubled over, falling to my knees. I looked up at him, gasping for breath.

"So he's got a little bite. Good for him." I said as I got to my feet. He glared at me.

"Of course I've got bite. I'm the King of Brooklyn."

"More like the Ego of Brooklyn." I muttered. I ducked in time as his fist came sailing at me again, this time aimed for my face.

"Alright, alright." A voice behind us said. "Enough." Jack and the rest of the boys stood behind us. Since it was a crowd of like, twenty guys, I had no idea how I'd missed them there. "Spot, lay off her. She's had a tough week. And Midway? I'll be speaking to you privately at lunch. I wanna know what happened last night. Be at Tibby's. On time."

I felt my stomach start to ache as they walked past me. I wanted to run again. Far away where they could never find me and make me tell them everything. Sighing, I followed them to the WDC.

Usually selling takes its own sweet time. But today it flew by. Customers came and went much faster than usual, and soon it was lunch time. Reluctantly, I set off for Tibby's.

I walked in and there was Jack, sitting at a table with Spot Conlon. I walked over to them cautiously.

"Alright Jack, let's get this over with. But, what's he doing here?" I asked, nodding towards Conlon.

"He is here as a fellow leader, who insisted on being kept in the loop." Jack said firmly, letting me know that there was no changing his mind. Sighing, I sat down.

"Okay, whaddya want to know?" I asked.

"What did Cobra want to talk to you about?" Jack asked.

In my mind, I started to panic. This was the moment of truth. I could tell them, tell them everything. They would hate me. Or, I could lie. But, I was getting tired of lying. Getting tired of trying to cover my ass with made up stories. I decided on the truth, no matter what the consequences.

So, I told them our entire conversation, including what I had told Edge and Guil. When I finished, they sat there staring at me, not even blinking. I fidgeted uncomfortably in my seat, waiting for them to speak. Slowly, Spot turned to look at Jack.

"Well?" He asked. "She's your newsie, your responsibility." I shot him my dirtiest look.

"Midway, I need to talk with Spot alone for a minute." He said in an uptight, angry voice. "Go over there and sit with Blink and them for a minute." Not wanting to push him any farther, I silently did as he asked.

As I slid into the booth with Blink, Mush and Crutchy, their conversation came to a sudden end. They looked at anything but me, quietly eating their lunch.

"Alright, it's obvious you're mad at me, so go ahead. Let me have it." I said, bracing myself for their shouts.

"It's not that Mids," Mush whispered to me. "It's just that Jack said we weren't allowed to talk to you, at least not until he gave us the go-ahead." Blink and Crutchy nodded in agreement. Smiling to myself, I ordered a sandwich.

"Midway?" Jack called. Gulping, I crossed the small restaurant to his table, sliding into a chair.

"Alright, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna let you stay." _Yes! _"On one condition." _Crap._ "You have to be our link to Harlem." He said. Now I was the one staring blankly.

"What?"

"I'm not gonna be having any more attacks on my boys. It's gonna be your job to make sure it doesn't happen again." Jack said. "And if something does happen, well, New York's a big place." He shrugged. "I'm sure you can find a new place to live." I shivered.

"You're just using me." I accused him.

"Would you rather be kicked out?" He asked.

"No." _Yes._

"Good then. I expect you to be meeting with Harlem at least every week." He said. "You better get a move on if you want to sell the afternoon edition." He got up and left, leaving me sitting there in a state of shock.

Spot's gloating face looming in front of me snapped me out of it.

"What?" I spat, getting up and heading for the door. He slipped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Nothing. It's just that I never would have figured you for a spy." He said. Glaring, I tried to push past him. "But, a few things are starting to make sense now. Like how you know how to break people out of prison."

"Please move." I said, gritting my teeth. I hated it when I had to resort to good manners to make people do what I wanted.

"No." Spot said. "Not until we talk."

"What could we possibly have to talk about?"

"Follow me." He said, turning on his heel and stalking out the door. Sighing, I followed, wondering what the "King" of Brooklyn wanted.

He led me to the alley in between Tibby's and the apartments next door. It reminded me of the alley I had been caught in, and I shuddered subconsciously. Spot reached the end of the dirty alley and turned around to wait for me.

"Alright," I said, "I'm here. Now what do you want?"

Spot smirked. "I'd like to make you a business proposal." I cocked an eyebrow, confused. What kind of business?

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly. His smirk got even wider.

"I would like for you to report to me about both Manhattan and Harlem." He stated. I stared at him, and then laughed.

"Ha ha. Very funny Spot." I chuckled. "I get it; you're just poking fun at me cause of all the messed up stuff I've done in the past. But, believe me; I'm goin' straight for good. Manhattan is where my loyalties lie now." I turned around to leave. Spot's hand shot out and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me back around to face him.

"I'm very serious." He said, still smirking. "You are gonna be a triple agent, and you're gonna report to me every week." I realized he was dead serious, and shook my head in disbelief.

"And why on earth would I do that? What makes you think that I would betray my friends for you?" I sputtered. He smiled.

"Well, you're gonna do it cause I'm telling you to." I opened my mouth to interrupt him. "And, if you don't, I might let a little something slip about your past…"

"What?" I whispered. "You wouldn't-"

"Oh, I would," He said, "Just because Jack won't tell anybody doesn't mean I won't."

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, trying to think of something to say, but coming up with nothing. Spot took this as an incentive to continue.

"I wonder," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "what would the Hattan boys do if they found out you used to spy for Harlem? If they found out that you were responsible for Blink and Crutchy? I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that angry mob." He trailed off.

"But…but I can't do this to them. They've been more than generous to me, I can't betray them!"

"Oh, please." Spot drawled. "It's not like you haven't had plenty of practice." And he slipped past me and walked out of the alley.

"Oh, shit." Was all I could say.


	19. Chapter 19

That afternoon, I stumbled blindly through selling the afternoon edition. I walked around like a ghost, handing papers to people as they asked for them, mumbling thank-you under my breath. I was too preoccupied with my situation to concentrate on my job.

What was I gonna do? I had been forced into being a liaison between Manhattan and Harlem, and now Spot demanded that I spy for him on the side? Holy crap, this couldn't get any worse.

Sighing, I listlessly handed my last paper to a man in a bowler hat and turned towards home, walking with my shoulders slumped and my hands in my pockets. Ugh, if I didn't do what Cowboy wanted me to do, I could wave goodbye to my sweet living at the lodging house. Jack had been dead serious when he had threatened to kick me out if I didn't patch up the relationship between Harlem and 'Hattan. Then there was Spot's threat. If I didn't report to him at least once a week, then he would turn the 'Hattan boys against me, and I'd be in even worse standing with them. They hated me enough as it was. An even worse thought hit me; if the boys discovered that I used to be a spy for Cobra, and then learned that I was spying for Spot, I was dead meat. Literally, I would be chased out of Manhattan and forced somewhere else, if I wasn't beaten and left for dead first.

These thoughts tumbled around my head as I approached the lodging house. I tramped up the beaten steps and stepped into the slightly cooler atmosphere of the lobby. The room was dark compared to the bright afternoon sunshine outside, and it took my eyes a second to adjust. After they did, I noticed a familiar figure sitting on a rickety chair, watching me.

"Seal?" I asked, curious. "What are you doing here?"

Seal rose from the chair, and crossed the distance between us quickly. "I've got a message from Spot." I blinked at him, confused.

"Alright, lets hear it." I said. Seal looked me in the eyes intensely.

"All he said was 'Tonight'." Seal quoted, still staring into my eyes.

I sighed. That must mean that Spot wanted to see me tonight, to kick start my official job as spy. "Alright, thanks Seal. See ya around." I stepped around him and headed towards the stairs, dragging my feet listlessly.

"Wait." He said. I stopped. Seal still stood there, staring relentlessly.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"What does that mean?" He asked, eyebrows cinching together.

"Don't worry about it." I brushed it off, turning to climb the stairs. I felt a hand grab my shoulder urgently and pull me back.

"Lay off!" I said, jerking away from him. He just looked at me. "And what's with that creepy stare? Can I help you with something?" I spat at him sarcastically.

"I just don't understand. Why would you do it?"

"Do _what_?" I asked, frustrated now with his cryptic behavior.

"Spy for Spot."

I blanked.

"What?" I asked, somehow not comprehending what he had just said.

"Why would you spy for him? I thought you were loyal to Manhattan." Seal said, looking as confused as I felt.

Looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard, I grabbed Seal by the arm and dragged him up the stairs, past the boys room (from which I heard catcalls issuing over the fact that I had a guy by the arm and was dragging him with me) and up the second case of stairs into the attic. Making sure no one was in the small bedroom, I closed and locked the door behind me. Whirling around to face Seal, I said:

"How in the hell do you know about that?"

"That's my job. Spot sends me to deliver messages to all our spies in the other boroughs. I've never had to come to Manhattan before, since we never had a spy here, so I was surprised. But I don't think I'll ever be as shocked as I was when he told me it was you that I was looking for." Dragging my hands through my hair in a therapeutic manner, I sank down onto my bed, muttering about Spot and how I wanted to rip him apart.

"So, why?" Seal asked. "I thought you just made up with Manhattan. Why you tryin to spurn 'em now?"

"I'm not!" I exclaimed, punching my pillow over and over. "Spot forced me into this! Why on earth would I wanna spy on the one place that forgave me for all the crap I've done?"

"How could Spot force you? He didn't hurt you did he?" Seal asked, suddenly looking furious and ready to go and hit something.

"No." I sighed. "Spot's blackmailing me." Seal looked down at me, once again confused.

"With what?" He asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." I stood to walk around him towards the door. "Just don't mention this to anyone else, or I'll be in a world of trouble." I said, reaching for the door.

"Wait." Seal stepped lithely in front of me, blocking my way. "That's it? No explanation at all. Come on." He grinned at me, half serious and half joking.

"That's it. Get out of my room." I slipped past him, unlocking the door and opening it. I walked down the stairs wearily, now painfully aware that I would have to make an unplanned trek to Brooklyn tonight. Seal was right behind me.

"Well fine. But maybe there's a way out of this. Maybe you don't have to do what Spot wants." I whirled around at him, pointing an accusatory finger.

"What are you talking about. He's your boss, isn't he? Shouldn't you be on his side?" Seal rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.

"Well, yeah, I'm loyal to the guy and all, but that don't mean I wanna see you doin' something you don't wanna do." I sighed again, looking at Seal's downcast face.

"That's sweet Seal, but there's nothing you can do. It's best for everyone if you stay out of it." I turned and walked down the stairs, into the lobby and out the door. If I was gonna make it to and back from Brooklyn at a decent hour then I needed to leave now.

**I know its short, but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm not dead, and I do have plans for this story. Oh, and I sincerely apologize for sucking ****J **


	20. Chapter 20

Hello Readers! Long time, no Updates! I have only one explanation…I went to college. I apologize. Here's a long chapter to make up for it J It's got more Spot than I thought it would, but I take what my brain gives me.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the dock and started to weave my way through a crowd of boys. Some of them were sopping wet, having just jumped into the harbor. Some were dry, and stank of sweat from the hard day of selling they had had. They desperately needed to jump into the harbor, just to get the odor off of them. Luckily, living on the street had numbed me to foul smells. Pushing through them, I slowly made my way towards the end of the dock. About halfway down I glimpsed Spot sitting on his throne of crates at the very end of the dock. He was hard to make out in the failing daylight, but I knew his arrogant frame from a mile away. His long, lanky limbs were hard to mistake.

Pushing the final half of the dock, I closed the distance between us and stood expectantly at the bottom of his perch. He didn't seem to notice me, so I yelled to get his attention of the noise of splashing and shouting boys.

"Oi! Spot! I'm here. What do you want?" The words came out somewhat politely, hiding what I really wanted to say to him. He looked down at me, surprised at first and then he smirked faintly. Rising from his seat, he nimbly jumped down to land in a crouch in front of me.

"Well, well, look who finally showed up." He said, rising to tower over me.

"Yeah, yeah, lets just get this over with already. I gotta be back in 'Hattan before anyone notices I'm gone, or you can kiss your spy goodbye."

Laughing softly, Spot motioned for me to follow him, slinking through the crowd, while I clumsily followed him back to shore. Once we hit land, he headed towards his lodging house. I had to hurry to keep pace with his long legs.

We reached the lodging house and climbed upstairs, past the room I had stayed in when we did our jailbreak, past a bunkroom and a bathroom and finally reached a tiny bedroom with one bed and a desk jammed into it. As I entered the room, Spot efficiently closed the door behind me and slid onto his bed, laying down with his arms behind his head.

"Alright." He said, eyes closed. "Let's hear it."

I just stood there. Hear what? Was I supposed to prepare something? Was this freaking school or something?

"Well, whaddya wanna hear?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably. Cracking one eye open, Spot studied me.

"A report. I thought you was a spy before?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"I was 6 years old Spot. You're gonna have to forgive me if I've lost a few of my old tricks." I retorted, sarcasm dripping from my mouth. Slipping off the bed to tower over me again, Spot leaned down to my ear.

"Don't bullshit me Midway. We had a deal." I stepped away from him, trying to put distance between us.

"First of all, I ain't bullshitting you. You wanted me as a spy; maybe you should have taken the time to learn if I was actually good at it. Second of all, what part of this is a deal? You blackmailed me, remember?"

Spot stepped back to study me again. Shrugging, he sat down on his bed and patted the seat next to him. I eyed it doubtfully; I had no interest in sitting on a bed with Spot Conlon. Speaking of, I had never seen him so relaxed and laid back before. It was weird; I was used to the ice cold, impenetrable Spot Conlon. I remained standing, leaning against the wall and trying to act casual.

"Alright, fine. Let's start with this: where are the boys selling nowadays?" Spot asked, surprisingly patient for once.

"Manhattan. Jack keeps em in line. They don't cross borders." I said shortly.

"Any trouble between them and Harlem yet?"

"Not since I spoke with Cobra."

"What about them? You know where they's selling?" Spot questioned me.

"Harlem. Cobra keeps them on a tight leash too. I ain't heard of nobody selling out of territory." I sighed, crossing my legs at the ankle and studying my nail beds. They needed some desperate care.

"Well, that all seems to be in order. Anything you wanna let me know?" He asked, standing again and stretching out his back.

"Wait? That's it. That's all you wanna know?" I asked him, incredulous.

"Sure." He shrugged, looking at me.

"I walked all the way over here to answer a couple measly questions? Damn Spot, next time at least make it interesting." I turned and opened the door, slipping into the hall. Spot followed me, loping after me down the hall.

"Be careful what you wish for." He remarked in an offhand voice. I whirled around to face him, stopping him short.

"Why did you even make me spy for you if that's all you wanna know? You could of easily had your birdies report on that to you. Makes no sense to make me drag my ass all the way over here to give you useless information." Spot slid his hands into his pockets and grinned. He walked around me and continued down the hallway.

"Believe it or not Midway, I got a reason for using you. I got big plans for you." He said over his shoulder as he started down the stairs. I hurried after him, frustrated.

"Could you be a little more clear? What the hell does that even mean!" I shouted at his back. He smirked as we entered the lobby.

"You'll know soon enough. Just head on back to 'Hattan and keep your ears and eyes open." He motioned towards the door, clearly inviting me to leave. Instead, I turned to face him.

"Look Spot. I understand that you have the winning hand here; I don't wanna spy for you, but I got no choice. But you need to understand something. If you try to hurt any of my friends, any of Manhattan, its over. I'll come clean, I'll leave the city if I have to. But I won't help you hurt them." Spot's laid back expression changed back to the stone cold one I was used to.

"Little late for that, Midway. Don't forget about Crutchy and Blink. You already screwed them over." He whispered to me, even though there was no one else in the room and he didn't have to. "I'll tell you what, Midway, if you had been my newsie and I found out you were a spy, well, lets just say it wouldn't be pretty. You're lucky Jack is so merciful." His icy words made me shiver, even though the room was hot and Spot was standing uncomfortably close to me. The threat of his words clung to me.

"Alright. I got it." I said, quietly. Sometime in his tirade, Spot had forced me backwards, and I was now caught between him and the wall. Then the door of the lodging house opened and in stepped Racetrack Higgins.

My first instinct was to jump as far away from Spot as possible, but I had no where to go. And Spot, instead of stepping away from me, remained where he was, looming over me.

"Heya Spot…and, uh, hey Mids. What are ya doin' here?" Race asked, his enthusiastic expression faltering as he caught sight of me. Frozen, I just stood there with a blank, shocked expression on my face. Uncertainly, Race stepped into the room, looking back and forth between mine and Spot's faces, which were too close for modesty.

"Heya Race, long time no see." Spot replied casually, slipping the hand that was on the wall down onto my shoulder and giving it a death grip, although he didn't move any farther away. "Mids was just leaving, weren't ya, sweet cheeks?" He said, sweeping his icy gaze onto me. I was once again stunned, this time at his use of the name 'sweet cheeks'.

"I, uh, was…just leaving. Nice seeing you Race." I said, moving uncertainly towards the door. Spot's death grip on my shoulder guided me a few feet forward, then suddenly stopped me. With his icy eyes burning mine, his hand slid slowly down my arm, grasped my hand, and raised it to his lips.

"See you soon, baby doll." Spot whispered, loudly enough for Race to hear, and kissed my hand. I was paralyzed. I could do nothing but stare at him dumbly. What was with this newfound Spot, this strange, romantic Spot? He was oddly endearing…

"Wait," Race's voice interrupted the weird moment we were having, "Are you two…together?" He asked, sounding bemused but unconvinced. Spot let out a natural sounding chuckle. Slipping behind me, he set his hands on my hips and addressed Race over my shoulder, which was still aching from the death grip.

"Of course Race, but we were trying to keep it private for a bit." He said, sliding his hands across my stomach so that his arms were wrapped around my midsection, and my back was pressed against his chest. Like a bystander watching a train wreck, all I did was nod dumbly.

Race grinned mischievously, and sniggered. "Well, I was just heading down to the docks to catch a couple games of poker. You wanna join me?"

Spot slid one hand from around my waist and slid it down my back until it was clearly resting on my ass. "Sure thing. Why don't you head on down? I'll be down in a minute, after I bid farewell to my lady here." With a knowing expression on his face, Race elaborately bowed to me, I could only give a sharp nod of acknowledgement, and he turned and went out the door, hands in his pockets and whistling a tune.

As soon as the door was closed firmly behind him, I violently pushed away from Spot, whirling around to face him.

"What the hell!" I whisper-yelled, still cautious that Race might hear us. Spot slid his hands into his pockets and looked at me, slightly amused. "It couldn't be helped." he said. "He saw us together; it makes more sense for you to be my girl than for you to be spying for me." He shrugged.

"NO, IT DOESN'T! It makes absolutely no sense that I would like you; you're a jerk! And what was with the touching?" I asked, remembering his hands and the odd imprints they had left on my skin.

"I had to make it convincing. I have a reputation to protect." Spot said, still looking at me with his head cocked.

"So do I!" I exclaimed. Spot burst out laughing.

"What reputation? The only rep sheet you got is a blank sheet." He chuckled. I crossed my arms indignantly.

"Still, now Race is gonna go tell everybody we are together! Why are you laughing!" I yelled, frustrated with his growing amusement.

" 'Cause, this is perfect cover for you. Now you got a legitimate excuse to be over here in Brooklyn, and no one is any the wiser." I slowed down my heart rate and thought about it; Spot was right. This gave me the prefect alibi.

"There's still the issue of us pretending to be date. What am I supposed to do when I see you in Manhattan? Or when we come to Brooklyn for a game night?" I asked, frustratingly running my hand through my hair.

"Well, you should probably act like you're head over heels in love with me." he drawled, sitting down in a chair and leaning back like all the worries of the world simply slipped right off of him.

"Haha yeah right, very funny." I said, beginning to pace in front of him. He gave me a look that said he was dead serious. "Fine, so in public I'm head over heels in love with you. What, we hold hands, and sit next to each other? I can handle that." I said confidently. Spot rolled his eyes.

"And back to the remark about my reputation. Spot Conlon is not a sissy boy who _holds hands._ When it comes to the dames, I am well known for my lack of public…propriety." Spot grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I spat at him. His smile grew even wider.

"That means sittin' on my lap, touching, kissing. What I would do with any broad. So you're gonna have to get over that fear of someone touching you." he said sarcastically.

"I am not afraid of you touching me…it just grosses me out. Like I would be grossed out if a spider crawled on me." I spat back, just as sarcastically. Spot grinned, and stood up, stepping closer to me. I jerked away, just as an instinct, but he caught my wrists in his hands.

"Look Midway, even though this is not what I had in mind, this is an interesting turn of events. You're not a bad looking goil; with some girly-ing up, you actually look pretty decent, like when you broke my boys outta the refuge. But, this is how it turned out. So get used to it. Cause it anybody finds out we are faking this, its your head on the chopping block, not mine."

I shivered involuntarily, looking at Spot's eyes, which were as cold and indifferent as ever.

"Fine." I said. "Now, _honey, _let me go, and I'll be on my way back to Hattan." Still staring at me, Spot slowly released his grip on my wrists. I spun around to leave, but didn't get more than two feet from him when I felt a sharp smack on my backside. Squeaking, I jumped around to face him, but he was already headed past me, slipping out of the door to the lodging house.

"I told you I had big plans for you." He said grinning, leaving me standing in the Brooklyn Lodging House, rubbing my now-sore butt.


	21. Chapter 21

It has been a while readers, here is a nice long chapter to apologize for the absence. I can only write when I have time and can think of where I want this story to go. So I had a little writing spell and voila! Reviews are nice, and really encourage me to write more! Have a lovely day!

On my way back to Hattan, all I could think about was how I would now have to convince everybody that I was actually (I hesitated even to think it) in _love_ with Spot Conlon. Alright, maybe not love. Plenty of people date who aren't like, head over heels in love, right? Maybe it just needed to be a crush, a like, or just straight up physical attraction…gross. My biggest worry was that no one would buy it; I had made it pretty loud and clear that Spot and I disliked each other. We had had many brawls, both verbal and physical that had been witnessed by plenty of newsies. Why on earth would any of them believe that Spot and I were in a relationship? I couldn't help thinking that it would never work.

People would want to know how we had changed our feelings so quickly, a question for which I had no answer. I had never been someone's girl before. Heck, besides a few fleeting crushes on handsome newsies and dock workers, I had never even thought about guys in that way before. Working on the street for a living can do that to people, I guess. When all you can worry about is where your next meal is coming from, hormones tend to take a backseat.

I glanced around, shaking myself out of my musings. I was almost to Manhattan, with maybe a hundred or so feet left to walk on the Brooklyn Bridge. Within a matter of minutes, I would be back on Duane Street in the lodging house, and people would want to know where I had been. Jack and the boys kept a sharp eye on me now, not letting me out of their sight if they could help it, and questioning my whereabouts when they couldn't help it. I would have to lie, and say I had gone selling late, or had been down to the battery for a game of chess. Lying was getting old; I felt as though each one I told now was just another weight I had to lug around with me. What if I didn't lie…

Race already believed that Spot and I were together, and I had no doubt that the news would spread like wildfire; the King of Brooklyn and the Traitor of Manhattan, two who notoriously hated each other, were dating? But if it came from Race's lips, who could claim he had actually seen us together without fighting, then people might buy it. Especially if I flat out told the boys I had been in Brooklyn with Spot. I just had to figure out a way to explain how we had gone from hating each other to…well, not hating each other.

Hmmm, maybe we had never hated each other…Maybe all our fighting and yelling had been a ruse to keep the boys from knowing about how we really felt. Yeah, that could work. If our hate was never real, then our love (ugh) was much more likely to be believed. That's what I would tell the boys. Spot and I never really disliked each other; it had all been an attempt to hide our true feelings. Sure! That _would_ work!

Except Edge and Guil, who would never buy it, even for a moment. I chewed my lip as a walked, now in lower Manhattan, only blocks from the lodging house. How to convince them? Maybe I could tell them the truth…no, I couldn't ask them to keep that kind of secret from the boys. As Manhattan newsies, they would be obligated to inform Jack that I was a spy for Conlon, and I simply couldn't have that. I would just have to try and convince them as best I could, though it would be tough and they probably wouldn't believe me.

I gathered my resolve as I approached the lodging house. It was fairly late, as I had walked to and from Brooklyn after selling today. Dark had fallen about an hour ago, yet the lodging house was full of life; I could hear the ruckus from a block away. Needless to say, our neighbors hated us. I climbed the stairs, grasped the doorknob and opened the door as slowly and carefully as I could to avoid attracting attention. I was met with limited success, as only some of the boys noticed my entry, most of whom didn't care. One however had seen me walk in, and his voice, loud over the din of boys, got the attention of the entire room.

"Hey, here she is now, Spot Conlon's newest girl!" Race announced merrily as I heard the door shut behind me, effectively trapping me in this maelstrom I had entered. Damn Race, how had he beaten me back? Damn kid probably skipped out on poker so he could be the first to deliver the news about Conlon and me. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the tale I was about to spin.

"Shut it, Race. What I do in Brooklyn is none of your business." It was Jack who took my bait.

"On the contrary, what you are doing over in Brooklyn is very much our business, given your history with other boroughs. What were you and Conlon up to, fist fighting again?" Jack smirked, although I could see in his eyes he was serious about knowing why I had been to Brooklyn.

"Aw, nah, Cowboy," Race said before I could respond, "In fact, she and Conlon were lookin' quite friendly, cozy even, if you ask me." He drawled playfully, speaking carefully around the cigar he had between his lips. I allowed myself to blush, a real one, remembering how Spot and I had been too close when Race had walked in. Jack's eyebrows shot up at this news.

"Really?" He asked, clearly shocked and not quite buying it. "Cozy, huh Race? How cozy?" Race chuckled.

"Let's just say that if I put my hands where Spot had his, I'm pretty sure Midway would make sure it was the last day I had hands." Race said, grinning cheekily at me. My blush deepened, but Jack leaned forward in this chair.

"You and Conlon? I thought you two hated each other." He said smoothly, giving me a chance to explain what Race had seen, giving me the option of claiming that it wasn't true, that Spot and I had been arguing, not flirting. I gathered my resolve.

"Maybe that's what we wanted you to think." I spat at him, acting frustrated and embarrassed, which was easy since I was frustrated and embarrassed. Jack's eyes narrowed in concentration.

"How long?" He asked, and I realized that the rest of the room had fallen silent, watching our encounter. I asked myself why these things always had to happen in front of a crowd.

"Since we broke his boys outta the refuge." I stated grudgingly, as though this was information I wasn't happy to surrender, although I was more than eager for him to buy it. Jack stood now, and started to walk towards me.

"And why did you think it was a good idea to keep this a secret? You already have so many, it musta been tough to add another." Jack said, now only a foot away and towering over my small frame. I had the good sense to lower my eyes to the floor.

"Spot said to. He said he didn't think you would like one of your newsies dating the King of Brooklyn. Said it would make you think I had split loyalties."

Jack laughed. "Well clearly you do. Why don't you just hop on over to Brooklyn then, huh?" he said, showing the first signs of anger. My eyes snapped back up to his. No. I could not get kicked out. Not now, not ever.

"Spot asked me to. I said no. I told him my loyalty was with you, and I wasn't gonna move to Brooklyn." I argued, trying to prove to Jack that I was still his newsie. He hesitated. I could tell he was on the precipice of believing me and letting me stay, he just needed one good shove to get him to fall for it. Jack looked down at me intently.

"What about all those fights huh? You and Conlon even got into it with fists once. Why would he risk hurting you if he had feelings for you?" This was the final challenge, I could tell. If I could explain this one, then I was golden.

"Spot thought you were getting suspicious of us. I didn't think you knew anything, but he said we needed to make it look like we really hated each other to throw you off. That punch he threw was fake. You really think I could get up and walk away after getting' punched by Spot for real?" I asked, highlighting my own weakness as my defense. It worked. Jack's expression started to change to one of revelation and amusement.

"Ha, I shoulda known. Now that I think about it, there was always some sexual tension between you guys." I blushed even deeper. Sexual what? No way. That was insane, just crazy. I quickly got over my embarrassment and made my final statement.

"Look Jack, I know you got no reason to trust me. But I'm done with going behind your back. Done with all that stuff." I felt the lie burn my throat as I spoke. All the shame I felt at lying was just now crashing over me.

"Good to hear Midway. Good to hear." Jack said, looking at me approvingly. My attention widened to the rest of the room, and I realized that while most of the boys had gone back to whatever they were doing, a few had paid close attention to Jack and mine's conversation, Race, Mush and Blink included. They looked pretty shocked by the news that I was dating Conlon, but amused as well, no doubt remembering the fights we had had and marveling over the fact that they hadn't been real. Even though they had. But they thought they were fake. Man, this was becoming too confusing even for me to keep up with. Someone's voice dragged my attention out of my head.

"Well Midway," said a familiar voice that got my attention and I turned around. There stood Seal, his eyes burning into mine with the truth that he knew. "It seems you are quite the actress, to pretend like that for so long." His words had a clear double meaning, meant only for me. I kept his gaze, not breaking eye contact, daring him to speak the truth, even though it would be betraying his leader and me.

"Find yourself a girl Seal, and I think you will find you can do almost anything for love." I said in an even tone, but I knew my words were like a slap to him, reminding him to be quiet. Seal finally looked down, and I knew that he wouldn't be the one to give me away. Now if only I could keep from giving myself away.

"You're kiddin', right?" Edge asked nonchalantly as she hung her head upside down from her bed, legs in the air resting against the wall. Her normal, relaxed position. Guil had a slightly more refined technique, sitting Indian style on the floor with a book she was only half focused on since I had entered the room.

"Nope, completely serious. Sorry you had to find out this way, but I didn't know how to tell you." I explained from my spot on the floor as I leaned against the wall and deliberately avoided eye contact with either of them. They were much better at reading my tells than the boys were, a result of years of living together and poker.

"You and Spot?" Came Guil's unconvinced voice, just the one I had been waiting for.

"Yep, me and Spot." I replied, not too eager to give any details unless asked for them.

"And just when did this happen? I thought you two hated each other." Edge demanded, seeming quite confused. Guil looked more suspicious than anything.

"A coupla' months ago, when we broke the Brooklyn boys outta prison. Spot and I got to talkin' one night, and well…" I trailed off, hoping they would let their imaginations fill in the blanks, because I sure didn't have anything true to tell them.

"Well what?" Guil asked, seeming ironclad in her determination to find out what was really going on. I hated having a brilliant friend sometimes.

"We kinda hooked up, ok?" Were the first words outta my mouth, and I instantly regretted them. Edge looked at me sharply.

"You mean you slept with him?" Came her whip-like response. I tried not to look nauseated at the idea.

"No! We just kissed, ok. We haven't gone that far, and I doubt we will for a while. I just…like him, alright?" I finished weakly, hoping that their curiosity would be satisfied.

"Interesting." Guil said, looking down at her book as she spoke. "I didn't picture Spot as the kind of guy who dated girls who don't give it up. You must really have him wrapped around your finger." Edge's next question hit me hard before I could respond.

"Is he a good kisser?"

For a moment, I just sat there silently. I really, truly did not have an answer to this. I had never kissed Spot, never kissed any boy. The closest I had even come was when I tried, unsuccessfully, to seduce Much. But I had a part to play, and to convince Guil I needed to play it very, very well.

"Yeah, he is." I said, looking up at the ceiling, trying to look dreamy and felt myself blush, even though I had nothing to blush about. Guil took notice of my pink cheeks. I heard her give a snort of laughter.

"Well, well, well. Never thought I'd see the day when Midway blushed over a boy. Hmm, he must be really good if just thinking about him makes you light up like a fire engine." I felt myself blush harder at this, again for no real reason, but it helped it seem more believable.

"Yeah, yeah, alright." I said, brushing it off as I stood to leave the room. "I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna go see if there's anything to eat around here. I haven't eaten anything since lunch." For the first time in what felt like a long time, I told the truth. Not a half-truth or an outright lie. I really hadn't eaten since lunch, and I really was starving.

I slipped out the door and down the stairs to the second floor. The sound of low-pitched chatter washed over me from the boys bunk room as I slipped down the hall. I was about to pass the door to their room when I heard my name mentioned and stopped, leaning against the wall, toward the entrance to hear what was being said. _Oh crap, I am doing just what Spot wanted me to do, spy! Well, if they're talkin' about me, then I have a right to know!_ Having decided my actions were justified, I leaned forward to listen.


End file.
